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