Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (News - Alert) announced on April 13 that they have joined forces in the fight against global warming in order to create “the preeminent climate action organization in the world.”
In doing so, they have merged the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a coalition of international cities currently headed by Bloomberg, and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI (News - Alert)), a project of Clinton’s philanthropic foundation—effectively doubling the groups’ annual budgets and staff, expanding the number of participating cities, and capitalizing on Clinton’s and Bloomberg’s high visibility and influence.
Jay Carson, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, will become chief executive of the new entity, to be called the C40-Clinton Climate Initiative. It is expected to have a budget of about $15 million and a staff of 70. The restructured organization will enable cities worldwide to share best practices and tackle issues collectively.
“This new structure to the C40, combined with the additional resources, is exactly what I need to help drive sustainable climate policy initiatives in Sao Paulo,” commented Sao Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab.
While cities only occupy 2 percent of the Earth’s land mass, they comprise more than 50 percent of its population, use two-thirds of its energy, and generate more than 70 percent of its carbon emissions. At a time when attempts to pass international treaties and national legislation have broken down, this new organization at the local level is determined to have a meaningful global impact.
Bloomberg stated, “Even as national governments, regrettably, all too often dither, cities around the globe must lead the charge on climate change. President Clinton and I agree that one of the most efficient methods of reducing carbon emissions is to focus on large cities around the world.”
“I am elated by this. I think we really have a chance to make a difference,” Clinton told reporters.
To date, the Clinton Climate Initiative, founded in 2005, has spent about $20 million on environmental projects around the world. A marquee experiment involved helping install more than 140,000 energy-efficient streetlights in Los Angeles.
PlaNYC 2030, New York City’s long-term plan for a greener, greater New York, was launched on Earth Day 2007 and has already resulted in a 9 percent reduction in local emissions over 2005 levels while improving New Yorkers’ quality of life and infrastructure. By planting trees, improving transit service, and conserving energy, New York City is on track to meet its goal of a 30 percent reduction in citywide greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030.
As part of the plan, in 2009, Clinton and Bloomberg announced that the Empire State Building would begin renovations to reduce its energy use by 38 percent a year by 2013, a project they promoted as a model for skyscrapers around the world.
“This is the kind of thing we can do everywhere,” he said.
The CCI has worked with the C40 cities as a “delivery partner” since 2006, assisting C40 cities in delivering projects across a range of program areas -- building and outdoor lighting retrofits, advanced waste management, low-carbon transportation, and climate-positive urban development.
In November 2010, when Mr. Bloomberg was elected chairman of C40, officially known as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, he commissioned a detailed survey of how effectively the organization worked. The weaknesses that surfaced led, over time, to discussions of an outright combination
“I've been honored by the progress that we have achieved since 2006,” said Clinton. “Together we are proving it is possible to create jobs and grow economies through reduced emissions. By combining forces with the C40, I believe the CCI Cities Program can continue to expand this work and make an even greater impact.”
Clinton and Bloomberg are scheduled to deliver a joint keynote address at the Fourth Annual C40 Mayors Summit, an environmental conference next month in São Paulo, Brazil — the first of many such appearances, aides said.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
