Big-city mayors meet over climate change
Summit brings together officials and business leaders to cut greenhouse gases
NEW YORK - MAYORS and business leaders from more than 40 of the world's biggest cities gathered in New York on Monday for a summit devoted to combating climate change and cleaning up the environment.
They joined former US president Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, billed as helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop energy-efficient infrastructure.
The summit is expected to include several joint initiatives that harness the combined purchasing power of the cities.The event is being organised in conjunction with the Clinton Climate Initiative, part of the foundation set up by the former US president, who is due to address the summit today.
The first such summit was held in London in 2005 and had brought together environmental officials from around 20 cities. This year's meeting brings in business leaders for the first time.
Ms Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a non-governmental business leadership group organising the gathering, said that by bringing together the city authorities, companies with technological solutions and banks to finance new initiatives, the summit was more than just a talk shop.
'You have had lots of people that are abstractly talking about global warming and advocating policy change, but these are people who actually write cheques,' she said.
Other topics up for discussion include beating traffic congestion, making water systems more efficient, adopting renewable energy sources, increasing recycling levels, reducing waste and improving mass transit.
The theory behind the conference is that cities must play a major role in reversing climate change because they contribute 80 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions even though they cover less than 1 per cent of the Earth's surface.
'If one city by itself implements a policy to reduce its carbon emissions, I do not think it is going to convince anyone that that is going to change the world,' she said.
'But if the larger cities across five continents commit to do something, that could change the world, it could have a real impact,' she added, particularly welcoming the role of cities in developing countries.
Among the cities represented are Bangkok, Berlin, Sydney, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Johannesburg, Karachi, Mexico City and Seoul.
The event, due to end tomorrow, coincided with Mr Bloomberg's visit to the state Capitol on Monday to pitch his 23-year environmental plan for New York, including the controversial congestion pricing scheme, to the state's lawmakers.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS
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Global warming and climate change has always been a persistent problem. However, only recently has the global population started realising just how important it is to set up measures against climate change. Man is the only one to be blamed for all unnatural problems. If we want to properly eradicate this problems, perhaps we should get to the root of it and examine the relationship between ourselves and the rest of nature.
Nature exists in an equilibrium state. It is an endless cycle because everything that happens in nature is there to help some other specie. In this way, nature is always equalised by something else. One animal helps feed another and another. The animal’s faeces returns back to the soil to become fertiliser for plants and the plants in turn provide the animals for food. Everything in nature is there for to help keep it balanced. But humans do not. Humans today are the only animals on this planet that has disrupted this cycle.
The problem is that humans are born with far superior intellectual capabilities than any other animal or plant in nature. This has resulted in us being able to outsmart any animal that becomes a threat to us. When tigers are rampant, we have guns to kill them all. We seem always have a solution for any problems that nature presents to us. It is perhaps because of this that we humans think that we are the king of the animal kingdom. We think that because everything is under our control and therefore planet Earth belongs to us. We think that everything on this planet is there to serve us. But that is not true.
During a talk, I was introduced to this Latin phrase, Natura Artis Magistra. The direct translation of it is “nature is the mother of art”. “Art” is used here to refer to man’s creation. It was this connection between man and nature that I found to be very true. Man and our creations would one day be extinct, but nature would forever be there. Even man depends on other animals and plants for support. If we were to kill all the other animals and plants before they can reproduce, then man would inevitably be extinct as well. That is what is precisely happening today. However, since nature exists in equilibrium, it would forever be supported by the different species of animals and plants.
Nature does not need man. All the other animals and plants can still survive, without us. Yet, we, the most intelligent being on this planet, depend on the rest of nature to survive. All other animals on this planet is there to serve nature, not us. We are just one of the many species of animal in nature. Like all other animals, we are there to nature, not the other way round. If we all can just change the way we view nature, then perhaps we would be more environmentally conscious.
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