Richardson: Local
Leaders Must Lead Fight on Global Warming
July 12, 2005 — By Mark Thiessen, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Former U.S. Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson urged mayors from across the nation Monday to
take the lead in fighting global warming.
"If we wait around for the Congress to ... take steps that are going to
be significant, we are not going to address this problem," said
Richardson, a Democrat who served in the Clinton administration and is
now New Mexico's governor.
"It's up to the mayors. It's up to the city councils," Richardson said.
Last month, the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a
resolution requiring their cities to try to meet or surpass emissions
standards set by the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty ratified
earlier this year without the United States.
The resolution also urged federal and state governments to meet or beat
the goal of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below
1990 levels by 2012.
The cities' efforts will include reducing dependence on fossil fuels by
accelerating development of technologies such as wind and solar energy,
efficient motor vehicles and biofuels.
The Utah conference, hosted by actor Robert Redford, Salt Lake City
Mayor Rocky Anderson and the U.N.-sponsored International Council for
Local Environmental Initiatives, drew about 45 mayors, including Richard
M. Daley of Chicago and John W. Hickenlooper of Denver.
The conference opened Sunday in Salt Lake City and runs through Tuesday
at Redford's Sundance Resort east of Provo.
Source: Associated Press |