As cities all over the world consider how to address climate change, a global summit of leaders including former President Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will convene this week to trade ideas.
Mayors and governors of more than 30 localities from Colombia to South Korea, along with CEOs from a number of international companies, will join Clinton and Bloomberg for the conference that begins Monday evening and ends Thursday.
The gathering is known as the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit and will be the second of its kind; the first was held in 2005, when representatives from 18 cities met in London.
The theory behind it is that cities must play a major role in reversing climate change -- they cover less than 1 percent of the Earth's surface but are disproportionately responsible for polluting it, contributing 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
"Cities must take responsibility for our contribution to global climate change," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is one of the participants. A spokeswoman said he will announce his own city's carbon-reduction plan on Tuesday in California before traveling to attend the conference.
Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and other gases, essentially trap energy from the sun. In a city like New York, the operation of buildings, which consume electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and steam, contribute an overwhelming majority of emissions.
At the conference, delegates "will share best practices, identify collaborative projects and chart future actions relative to reversing dangerous climate change and realizing economic development benefits," organizers said.
Clinton is also expected to make a major announcement involving a cross-section of attendees. After the 2005 meeting, the group of cities formed a partnership with Clinton's climate initiative, which is a project of his presidential foundation.
This week's conference will feature discussions on building greener cities, using renewable energy sources, transforming waste into energy and how to engage the private sector along the way. It comes shortly after Bloomberg unveiled his 23-year plan to make the city of 8.2 million people sustainable over the long term; by 2030, there will be another million people living here.
"This is a particularly fitting time for us to welcome leaders from the world's largest cities here to discuss climate change, share ideas and learn from one another," said Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff.
There will likely be talk of Bloomberg's most controversial program, which proposes charging motorists extra money for driving into the most congested parts of Manhattan as a way to reduce traffic and pollution.
The plan has generated considerable debate in New York City, and the mayor often points to a similar program in London as an example of its potential success.
He was scheduled to travel to Albany on Monday to present the plan to state lawmakers. The Legislature must approve the congestion-pricing scheme, and many say it is a near-impossible hurdle because so many lawmakers from the city's outer neighborhoods of commuters will not support it.
The Bloomberg administration has recently set a goal to reduce New York's emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
The mayor on Friday challenged other cities to follow.
"That means a willingness to face up to our responsibilities, and hold ourselves accountable for making incremental progress," he said. "By doing that, I believe we can meet the three major challenges that we face in energy: Producing more power, more cleanly, using it more efficiently and creating new, sustainable sources."
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