The New York Times reports that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has joined the bipartisan US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement coalition. The coalition, organized by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, is working to achieve what would have been the Kyoto Protocol’s US target for reductions in greenhouse gases (7%) in the member communities.

With New York City joining, the number of mayors supporting the agreement is up to 132, representing 28.8 million citizens in 35 states.

The coalition has grown quickly from its founding on 30 March 2005 by Nickels and nine other mayors:

• Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Peter Clavelle, Burlington, Vermont
  
• Rosemarie Ives, Redmond, Washington
  
• Gavin Newsom, San Francisco, California
  
• Pam O’Conner, Santa Monica, California
  
• Tom Potter, Portland, Oregon
  
• Mark Ruzzin, Boulder, Colorado
  
• R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  
• Jerry Brown, Oakland, California

Under the Agreement, participating cities commit to take a number of actions, including:

• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.

  Specifically in the area of transportation, supporting cities are agreeing to:

  • Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails, commute trip reduction programs, incentives for car pooling and public transit;

  • Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal fleet vehicles;

  • Reduce the number of vehicles in the fleet;

  • Launch an employee education program including anti-idling messages;

  • Convert diesel vehicles to bio-diesel

• Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol—7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012;

• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan Climate Stewardship Act, which would establish a national emission trading system

Mayor Nickels and the other participating mayors are seeking to wind the endorsement of the US Conference of Mayors during the upcoming meeting in June.

Resources:

• The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

• US Mayors Climate Protection Website

• List of participating Mayors (current as of 13 May 2005)