Think Globally Act Locally - Still Possible

I heard bits and pieces of local public radio this week about the National Conference of Mayors summit on climate change, which took place here in Seattle. Finally I have had time to read a few stories about what actually went on.

The Seattle Times carried an article called "Climate can't wait for feds, say Clinton, Gore, Nickels" and the Post-Intelligencer called theirs "Clinton Sees Global Warming Fight As A Way to Create Jobs, Opportunity."

Nickels is our Mayor, Bill Clinton delivered the keynote, and Nobel laureate Gore spoke via satellite from Nashville. Attending were 110 mayors from 29 states. More than 700 mayors around the country have signed a pledge to make sure that their cities comply with Kyoto. This effort was led by our Mayor, in the tradition of Chief Seattle, our native American namesake.

Mayors meeting this week encouraged each other to do what the feds haven't, by cutting greenhouse gases in line with targets from the international Kyoto treaty, boost public transit and pay for solar power.

Gore reminded them that the polar ice cap had melted more this year than in any year on record and that action was urgent. He also encouraged a ban on coal-fired power plants, and a comprehensive treaty by 2009 rather than 2012.

Clinton told the mayors to show developing countries like China and India the way to tackle climate change, which they are more likely to do if they feel it will not be a drag on their economies. He outlined a Climate Initiate whereby energy-efficient products would be made more affordable for 1100 US cities through group purchase therefore volume discounts, as has already started to happen via the project for 40 of the world's largest cities. "Clean" technology could be an engine of job growth and reverse a decline in real wages rather than pulling down the economy.

Assuming we are stuck with Walmart, wouldn't it be better if they were to use energy-efficient lighting and clean energy technology?

The event drew reporters from across the country and from Japan's public broadcasting company, who spent a week examining local environmental projects. Their programming was intended to reverse the negative impression many Japanese have of the US relative to climate change, since we did not participate with the Kyoto treaty as a nation.

Mayors left saying that they struggle to make arguments outside the left-leaning urban areas or that they had to be "sold" on the benefits before signing on to Mayor Nickel's pledge, especially if from cities with heavy industrial bases. Since joining the movement, some mayors have become convinced that weatherizing deteriorating homes and sprucing up neighborhoods would greatly benefit their constituents.

In Oakland, a "Green Job Corps" has been created that will train residents to install solar panels, manufacture biofuel, plant green roofs or restore damaged streams. The Apollo Alliance, a national consortium of unions, environmentalists and social justice advocates, wants to create 3 million new jobs to free the country from oil-dependence, within 10 years. Those jobs could be involved with creating wind turbines, retrofitting buildings and creating mass transit projects. If Congress gave the mayors the $2 billion they want for grants, they could fund weatherization programs, energy efficiency audits and alternative fuel projects.

All buses used to shuttle mayors between events were being powered by biodiesel.

Children in polar bear costumes demonstrated outside the venue.