40多個世界主要城市的市長本週齊聚紐約，在「城市氣候高峰會」中討論氣候變遷議題，參與盛會的包括曼谷、柏林、芝加哥、伊斯坦堡、約翰尼斯堡、里約、雪梨等城市。倫敦市長李文斯頓（Ken Livingstone）在致詞時表示：「城市是對抗全球暖化戰役的決勝點。」
李文斯頓說：「我們會越來越緊密相連，沒有一個城市能自外於氣候變遷的影響，或獨力預防氣候變遷的災害。各城市能出席這次會議，顯示我們樂意為此共同目標攜手合作。」
李文斯頓市長在倫敦推行的氣候變遷行動計畫，強調市民不需要降低生活水準，而是改變生活型態，以節省能源並減少廢棄物。他表示：「目前結果相當成功，在交通壅塞收費區的私人車輛使用率減少了38%，二氧化碳排放降低20%。有超過8成的市民選擇以腳踏車代步，而每日有600萬以上的民眾搭乘公車。」
多倫多市長米勒（David Miller）則在5月15日的會議上，公佈了該市的「零足跡」（Zerofootprint）計畫，替民眾計算出日常生活造成的環境衝擊，同時幫助他們與好友、鄰居及同事們互相交流，打造虛擬的網路環保社群。
洛杉磯的維雅萊果沙（Villaraigosa）市長與市議會及環保領袖們並肩合作，宣佈以「綠化LA」行動計畫來對抗全球暖化，預計在2030年之前，讓洛杉磯市的溫室氣體減少1990年排放量的35%。這項目標不但超越京都議定書的標準，也遙遙領先美國所有大城。
整體而言，都市運作佔了全球二氧化碳排放量的三分之一。市長們都同意，在都市層級進行能源使用效率與再生能源的投資，只是解決問題的部份方法。城市應該利用這種方式推動公／私部門進行轉變，包括提倡環保能源、節約用水、興建先進運輸系統、減少廢棄物、綠化港口與機場、打造更多開放空間與公園綠地，並調整經濟活動，以適應全球氣候變化的現實衝擊。
Speaking at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in New York, The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said, "The fight to tackle climate change will be won or lost in cities." The C40 is a group of the world's largest cities committed to addressing climate change. Mayors from around the world are at the summit including the mayors of Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Rio, and Sydney.
"We are increasingly interconnected - no city can wall itself off from the consequences of climate change, and no city can prevent catastrophic climate change on its own," said Livingstone. "Each city's presence here today demonstrates a willingness to work together towards a common cause."
The core message of Mayor Livingstone's own Climate Change Action Plan is that Londoners do not have to reduce their standard of living. But all residents have to change the way they live to one that conserves energy and minimizes waste. "It proved to be a success," he said, "with a 38 percent reduction in private car use and carbon emissions down 20 per cent in the congestion charge zone. We now have over 80 per cent more people choosing to cycle and over six million people traveling by bus each day."
At the summit today, Toronto Mayor David Miller unveiled an initiative. Zerofootprint Toronto illustrates to users the impact every aspect of their daily lives has on the environment while allowing them to network with friends, neighbors and co-workers to create a virtual eco-community.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in partnership with the Los Angeles City Council and environmental leaders, today unveiled "GREEN LA – An Action Plan to Lead the Nation in Fighting Global Warming." GREEN LA aims to reduce Los Angeles’ greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target goes beyond those set by the Kyoto Protocol and is greatest reduction target of any large U.S. city.
Overall, city operations account for one-third of all emissions of carbon dioxide. Investing in energy efficiency and renewable power at the municipal level is only part of the solution, the mayor said. The city must leverage change in the public and private sectors by promoting green energy, conserving water, building a world-class transportation system, reducing waste, greening the port and airports, creating more open space and park land, and adapting its economy to the realities of global climate change.
全文及圖片詳見 ENS報導
