FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, New York
May 15, 2007

LAUNCH OF C40 LARGE CITIES CLIMATE SUMMIT FEATURES MAYORAL PANELS ON TRANSPORT, WATER & ENERGY—ALONG WITH KEYNOTE LUNCHEON ADDRESS BY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

Calls to action include discussions on encouraging large-scale behavioral change and promoting exchanges of information on technological upgrades that can be implemented quickly to save natural resources.

On the first day of the historic conference bringing together leaders of the world’s largest and most innovative cities with international business leaders, environmental experts and representatives of major urban utilities, wide-ranging panel discussions were held on promoting environmentally responsible transport, water and energy, among other subjects.

At his keynote luncheon address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg lauded the “strong, cooperative atmosphere of this historic climate change summit.” The Mayor also reiterated his administration’s goal of “a 30% reduction in New York City’s global warming emissions by 2030,” and outlined a major conservation plan for New York City to achieve this objective based on three main elements: fostering the “use of cleaner burning heating fuels,”—a process which would include offering incentives; replacing “old, heavily polluting power plants with newer, more efficient generators;” and, finally, decreasing “transportation-related CO2 emissions,” by reducing vehicle traffic through strategies such as congestion pricing.

The Transport panel discussion opened with remarks by Kathryn S. Wylde, President & CEO of Partnership for New York City, on the challenge facing all large city leaders to simultaneously “beat congestion and survive the next election.”

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London discussed London’s successful implementation of a congestion charge. Mayor Livingstone described how the initial proposal for a congestion change came from a consortium of London business interests that calculated the cost of congestion in terms of London’s productivity and competitiveness at two billion pounds annually. Although press coverage of the congestion charge before it was adopted was overwhelmingly negative, the positive results of the charge were immediate and applauded by most Londoners.

In one year, the congestion charge has brought about a 38% drop in private cars entering London—twice the anticipated figure. There has also been a more than 80% increase in cyclists and a rise in bus passengers from four million to six million. This modal shift has been accompanied by substantial emissions reductions, including a 20% reduction in carbon emissions.

Mayor Livingstone was able to reassure leaders concerned with the effect that making such changes would have on their electability that his own poll ratings jumped 12% within one week of adopting the congestion charge.

Panelist Beto Richa, Mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, pointed out that the battle for the world’s climate would, in fact, be fought in the major metropolises represented at the summit, since those cities are home to the majority of the world’s population. He noted that, in coming up with solutions to the problem of transport congestion, cities need to look for integrated solutions that addressed multiple problems associated with climate change simultaneously.

In Curitiba, Mayor Richa is developing “green lines,” consisting of roadway arteries in which all traffic is fuel-efficient and bordered by plantings that both combat carbon emissions and increase biodiversity. Mayor Richa also argued that in expanding urban mass-transportation systems “fair prices compatible with user’s wallets” had to be maintained. “Quality of life concerns and standards of sustainability,” must be linked, he stated.

At the panel discussion on water, Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo outlined some of the signature infrastructural upgrades that have been made in recent years in Tokyo to conserve water. Among these, a long-term pipe replacement program that has included broad introduction of flexible stainless steel piping has dramatically reduced water leakage, while also safeguarding against potential damage from earthquake and other natural disasters.

In the course of discussing the search for alternative sources of water, Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney, called into question the efficacy of desalination plants (pointing to the fact that the costs of running such plants currently tend to outweigh their environmental benefits), and called for a renewed dedication to promoting behavioral change as the only long-term solution to the problem. “Most people in Sydney realize that we have to change the way we live—change our ecological footprint,” she said.

The primacy of recycling in conserving water was endorsed by many city leaders—along with an appeal to broaden the commitment to, and opportunities for, recycling across the globe. Separately, changes in water pricing were presented as one means to foster an understanding that everyone must work together to conserve water. Amos Masondo, Mayor of Johannesburg, advocated for large-scale education programs to enhance public awareness of why water needs to be understood as a public good for which all citizens are responsible. Other municipal representatives and environmental experts commented on the substantial reductions in water consumption that could be generated by widespread use of relatively simple and affordable technology, such as low-flow toilets and showerheads.

In the afternoon, Lord Michael Hastings of KPMG LLP moderated a Plenary session called "The Business of Climate Change: Job Creation and Development" which focused on climate-friendly economic development strategies for cities. Panelists included Oh Se-Hoon, Mayor of Seoul; Gilberto Kasab, Mayor of Sao Paolo; Lorraine Bolsinger, Vice President of Ecomagination at GE; and Kevin Parker, Head of Global Asset Management at Deutsche Bank.

The final session of the day was a panel discussion called "Creating Green Skylines" which addressed how cities can provide incentives for high performance building in new and existing residential and commercial construction. Panelists included John So, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Mayor Will Wynn of Austin, Houston Mayor Bill White, and Mohammad Zaidi, Executive Vice President of Market Strategy, Technology, and Quality at Alcoa. Rohit Aggarwala, Director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability moderated the discussion.

Photos from the Summit are available for download in hi-resolution format at http://www.nycclimatesummit.com/media_photos.html.

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