Coastal Brazil. Photograph by: ©Brian Hodges
By Claire Le Guern
Six years ago, representatives of 18 leading world cities, met in London to address global warming and climate change.The representatives understood the urgent need for action and cooperation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pledged to work together towards achieving that goal, through a range of energy efficiency and clean energy programs, as well as developping creative solutions, in response to the great challenges imposed by climate change.
The 40 major cities, whose mayors are currently attending the fourth C40 Summit in Sao Paulo, including New York, Jakarta, Mexico City, Berlin, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Paris, are responsible for 12 percent of global greenhouse emissions.
The current chair of the C40 is Mayor Michael R Bloomberg of New York City.
“For the first time in history, cities are home to more than half of the world’s population, and together account for more than 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Mayor Bloomerg declared.
Yesterday, the group annouced that a financing agreement with the World Bank to help the world’s major cities better adapt to climate change, has been reached.
US President Bill Clinton, whose foundation works with the C40 group, praised the agreement, as he said that one of the biggest problems with going green was financing.
