U.S. Cities Signing Up to Protect Climate

According to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels’ website, as of October 5th a total of 313 mayors of U.S. cities representing 51.2 million Americans have now signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. That means 18 mayors of cities have signed up since September 15th, a rate of about one mayor a day signing the agreement in which they pledge to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide in their city to 7% or more below 1990 levels by the year 2012, the Kyoto Protocol target. In addition, there are other U.S. cities participating in the international Cities for Climate Protection Campaign that have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All this may be characterized as a tiny step toward adopting the type of measures that are needed to limit global warming to an acceptable level, yet, it is a least a step which is an improvement on the business as usual mentality which in the past has been clearly dominant.