美國有數個重要城市將首度開始回報自身的溫室氣體排放，並以此系統向企業、投資者及一般大眾展示，城市將如何因應氣候變化帶來的危機與轉機。在11日共有21個城市宣佈參與，另外至少還有9個城市也將加入前導計畫。
參與本次計畫的有紐約、拉斯維加斯、紐澳良、丹佛與奧勒岡州的波特蘭等大型城市，此外也有一些小型市鎮，例如愛荷華州的杜布克（Dubuque）、明尼蘇達的聖保羅（Saint Paul）、佛州的西棕櫚灘（West Palm Beach），加州的羅納特公園市（Rhonert Park）等。
這些城市將統一彙整轄下市政運作系統的碳排放資料，包括消防單位、救護與警察系統、市府建築、廢棄物運輸，其他市政服務以及城市預算控管下的各種活動。
「碳揭露計畫」（CDP）將與隸屬於「地方環境行動國際委員會」的永續地方政府計畫（ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability）合作，協助各城市進行溫室氣體排放的回報。
獨立非營利組織「碳揭露計畫」成立於2000年，代表全球385個投資機構、共57兆美元的資產。CDP收集全球3千個主要企業的重要氣候變化相關資料，並彙整了全世界最大的企業溫室氣體排放資料庫。
CDP總裁狄金森（Paul Dickinson）表示，「全球排放有70%由城市產生，必須先針對這些排放進行測量，才能加以管理。對於想要更了解自身環境衝擊的市府而言，這是重要的步驟，唯有增進對氣候變化相關危機與轉機的認知，城市才能為將來碳排放受限的世界做好最佳準備。」
ICLEI與加州氣候行動登錄專案（California Climate Action Registry） 共同擬定了一套地方政府運作協定，各城市將遵照實行。這個協定徵詢了全美專業權益相關人士（stakeholder）的建議，針對地方政府運作過程中所產生的排放，指定了幾種溫室氣體，詳細列出相關政策架構、計算方法，以及回報指南。城市會利用CDP的網路回報系統公佈收集到的資料。
ICLEI的美國執行主任威嫚（Wyman）在奧克蘭辦公室指出，「對於在地的氣候行動來說，制定標準、量化方式以及自願回報系統相當重要，ICLEI與CPD的合作正是個清楚的範例。」
她也表示，「本次計畫提供了透明化的機制，地方政府首長可由此確認優先步驟並進行改善，讓地方政府進行全面性的大幅排放減量，這對新興國家與全球政策對話都至關重要。」
Some of the largest U.S. cities will report their greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in a program that will demonstrate to companies, investors and the general public how cities are dealing with the risks and opportunities climate change presents.
Twenty-one cities were announced today, with at least nine others expected to take part in the pilot project.
Some of the participating cities are large, such as New York, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Denver, and Portland, Oregon, while others are smaller such as Dubuque, Iowa; Saint Paul, Minnesota; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Rohnert Park, California.
Each city will assemble comparable carbon emission data within their jurisdiction's operations - fire department, ambulance and police services, municipal buildings, waste transport and other services the cities provide or activities over which they exercise budgetary control.
The Carbon Disclosure Project and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability will help the cities to report their greenhouse gas emissions.
An independent not-for-profit organization founded in 2000, the Carbon Disclosure Project represents some 385 global institutional investors, with a combined asset base of more than $57 trillion. CDP collects key climate change data from more than 3,000 major corporations globally and has assembled the largest corporate greenhouse gas emissions database in the world.
Carbon Disclosure Project chief executive Paul Dickinson said, "Over 70 percent of total global emissions are generated from cities and if you don't measure these emissions, you cannot manage them."
"This is a vital step for city councils who wish to gain a better understanding of their own impact and by improving their understanding of risks and opportunities associated with climate change, best prepare their cities for a carbon constrained world," Dickinson said.
Cities will use the local government operations protocol coauthored by ICLEI and the California Climate Action Registry with input from expert stakeholders across the United States. The protocol details the policy framework, calculation methodologies, and reporting guidance for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from local government operations.
Then the cities will disclose this data to the Carbon Disclosure Project online reporting system.
"ICLEI's partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project underscores how crucial standards, quantification methods and voluntary reporting are to local climate action," said Michelle Wyman, executive director of ICLEI USA, from her office in Oakland.
This project provides the opportunity for transparency, and is essential in the emerging national and global policy dialogue as the priorities of local governments to achieve swift and deep reductions are identified and advanced by local government leaders," she said.
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