Report: Climate change crisis 'catastrophic'

The first comprehensive report into the human cost of climate change warns the world is in the throes of a "silent crisis" that is killing 300,000 people each year. (at left: flooding in India)

More than 300 million people are already seriously affected by the gradual warming of the earth and that number is set to double by 2030, the report from the Global Humanitarian Forum warns.

"For the first time we are trying to get the world's attention to the fact that climate change is not something waiting to happen. It is impacting seriously the lives of many people around the world," the forum's president, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, told CNN.

Speaking to CNN's Becky Anderson in London on Friday, Annan said the migration of people from newly uninhabitable areas presents a security issue that needs to be addressed by the United Nations Security Council. (On right: Pacific peoples on lowlying islands are having to migrate because of rising seas).

"This is one of the reasons why I've described climate change as all encompassing," he told CNN. "This threat to our health, this threat to food production, this threat to security. It raises political tensions, it will have people on the move -- and they are on the move -- and many more which will bring tensions." (On left: Bangladesh threatened by rising sea levels)

The report, titled "Human Impact Report: Climate Change -- The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis" comes just six months before the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen to forge a post-Kyoto climate agreement for 2012 and beyond. (Right: hunger in Ethiopia)

Annan called on Member States to reach a "global, effective, fair and binding" outcome on climate change, as the report warned that the talks could "well be the last chance for avoiding global catastrophe."

He told CNN: "The U.S. administration has joined the mainstream about fighting climate change and that is a big step, and I hope that will also put a new momentum into the negotiations."

The report's startling numbers are based on calculations by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the Earth's atmosphere warmed by 0.74 degrees Celsius (1.33 degrees Fahrenheit) from 1906 to 2005, with much of that increase coming in recent decades. The panel predicts that by 2100 temperatures will have increased a minimum of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels regardless of what's agreed in Copenhagen. (Left: Tibet's glaciers, the main source of fresh water for people and agriculture, are melting away).

"No matter what," the report concludes, "the suffering documented in this report is only the beginning." A rise of two degrees, it says, "would be catastrophic."

Of the 300,000 lives being lost each year due to climate change, the report finds nine out of 10 are related to "gradual environmental degradation," and that deaths caused by climate-related malnutrition, diarrhea and malaria outnumber direct fatalities from weather-related disasters. (Right: Uganda)

The vast majority of deaths -- 99 percent -- are in developing countries which are estimated to have contributed less than one percent of the world's total carbon emissions.

The report warns climate change threatens all eight of the Millennium Development Goals-- a set of goals agreed on by leading nations in 2000 that aim to reduce extreme poverty by 2015. The goals include eradicating hunger, reducing child mortality, and halting the spread of diseases including HIV/AIDS and malaria. (Left: flooding in Indonesia)

Around 45 million of the 900 million people estimated to be chronically hungry are suffering due to climate change, the report says. Within 20 years that number is expected to double. At the same time food production is expected to fall, driving food prices up 20 percent.

The countries considered to be most vulnerable are those in the semi-arid dry land belt that runs from the Sahara/Sahel to the Middle East and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and parts of the U.S., small island states and the Arctic region. (Right: Morocco)

Australia is singled out as the developed country most vulnerable to the direct impacts of climate change. Over the past 15 years, the combination of rising temperature and lower rainfall has produced the worst drought in the country's recorded history. (Left: Ecuador)

While developed countries -- including Australia -- have committed funds to counter the impact of climate change, the Global Humanitarian Forum says developing nations need a dramatic injection of funds -- up to 100 times more than is currently available to help them adapt to the changes.

The total economic cost of climate change each year is thought to be $125 billion, although the Forum warns that figure may be too conservative and doesn't take into account the impacts on "health, water supply and other shocks." (Right: European high temperatures)

While commissioned by the Global Humanitarian Forum, the report was reviewed by a panel of experts, including Rajendra Pachauri of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Barbara Stocking of Oxfam.

Source:
Cable News Network, "Report: Climate change crisis 'catastrophic'", accessed May 29, 2009

From the Inbox: Help Save the Florida Panther

Fewer than 100 Florida panthers remain in the wild! Sign our petition to help make sure critical habitat is developed for this magnificent animal - before it’s too late!

Photo courtesy of the USFWS

Now is the time to help protect one of our most iconic wildlife species - the Florida panther - from dying out. Fewer than 100 panthers remain in Florida today, and already five panthers have been killed on south Florida highways this year, with an additional 24 panthers killed by vehicles in the preceding two years.

That’s why I am asking you to please, sign our petition to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and help us make sure the rare and extraordinarily beautiful Florida Panther is saved from extinction.

The situation for the panther is desperate. Although the Florida Panther has been listed as endangered since 1967, the amendment to the Endangered Species Act requiring each listed species have “designated critical habitat” did not go into effect until 10 years later. As a result, no critical habitat exists for the Florida panther - our country’s only big cat east of the Mississippi.

So please, take action right now. By signing our petition you can help make sure that the critical habitat the panthers so desperately need is designated and protected.

Florida panthers once roamed freely from Arkansas, east to the Carolinas and south along the coastal states to the Florida Everglades. Unfortunately, a long history of shooting, excessive development, mercury poisoning, loss of habitat, and road-crossing fatalities have pushed the panther to its last foothold in the wilderness of southern Florida.

Florida panthers are now clinging to survival in only 5% of the territory they once roamed to seek food, water and shelter, as well as breed and rear their young.

Please sign our petition and help us provide critical habitat for the Florida panther and protect this magnificent animal from extinction.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,




Carl Pope
Executive Director

P.S. We need all the help we can get! Sign our petition and then pass this email along to your family members and friends. Together we can work to create life-saving habitat for the Florida panther!

Dam bursts after more rain in northern Brazil

A dam burst in the northeastern village of Cocal left a 12-year-old girl dead and three people missing, fire department officials said Thursday, according to Brazil's state news agency.

The break occurred late Wednesday afternoon and was blamed on heavy rains in the state of Ceara, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported. Concern over the dam's integrity led officials to order residents to evacuate Cocal for 15 days. But they were allowed to return this week after the dam was deemed safe, it said.

Fire officials said 800 to 2,000 homes located near the dam were inundated, but civil defense officials estimated 500 families -- some 2,500 people -- were affected.

Steady rain has flooded communities across 10 states since early April, killing dozens of people and forcing nearly 800,000 from their homes, according to the Brazilian civil defense agency.

Meteorologists and other weather specialists are divided over the cause of the downpours, particularly in the normally dry northeastern section of the nation. Some say ocean temperatures are to blame, while others say deforestation has led to the climate change.

Brazil has been devastated by rain-swollen rivers for months. Flooding in the southern part of the nation in November and December killed more than 120 people and left about another 30 missing.

Source:
Cable News Network, "Dam bursts after more rain in northern Brazil", accessed May 28, 2009

From the Inbox - Losing Biological Diversity - 80,000 acres a day

We are destroying our wetlands at a rate of 80,000 acres per year and as a result destroying the critical habitat of many plants, animals, fish and fowl. Please help keep our wetlands from disappearing. Our wetlands are too precious to lose. In addition to their intrinsic value, they improve the quality of water, protect against floods and provide sanctuary for an incredible array of biological diversity. In fact, wetlands are some of the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the world, comparable to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and the diversity of species they support. Officials and developers need to be educated that wetlands are not wastelands to be drained and converted to other uses. Act today to preserve these important natural resources. Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFMMv/zJbR/147Z Thanks for taking action! Samer ThePetitionSite

Protect America's Biodiversity Although wetlands make up only about 5 percent of the land surface in the contiguous United States, they are home to 31 percent of our plant species. Forward to a friend Read the petition

From the Inbox: Polar Bear Setback: Help NRDC in court!

Polar Bear’s Lifeline is Cut The Obama Administration has just announced it will not use the Endangered Species Act to save polar bears from global warming pollution and Arctic oil development -- the two gravest threats to their survival. Help NRDC go to court! I have to share bad news. We have been hoping that the Obama Administration would come to the polar bear's rescue by reversing the Bush Administration's "polluters first" policy on polar bear protection. But instead, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has just cut the polar bear's lifeline. He adopted a Bush policy that refuses to use vital Endangered Species Act protections to save the polar bear from the deadliest threat it faces -- global warming pollution, a danger made even worse by rampant Arctic oil development. Letting these loopholes stay in place is like sending a leaky lifeboat to save drowning polar bears. It simply won't protect them -- and may even accelerate their rapid slide toward extinction. That's why I'm asking you to give an emergency contribution to help NRDC fight this dangerous and illegal plan in court. We simply must have your support if we are to win uncompromising protection for the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. I'm sure you share my disappointment that the Obama Administration -- which has launched the most ambitious green energy program in history -- would allow polar bears to suffer and die by embracing this throwback to Bush's pro-polluter agenda. And I'm sure you agree we must not let this disastrous plan go unchallenged -- especially since the Obama Administration has pledged to base its environmental policies on solid science. We're fighting in federal court to overturn this Bush-era policy and compel the Obama Administration to throw polar bears a strong lifeline. But to wage and win this life-or-death case, we need your emergency donation right away. Thanks to your past support, we've come so far in our campaign to save the polar bear. As a result of three years of legal pressure -- and our grassroots Polar Bear S.O.S. campaign -- the Bush Administration was forced to protect the polar bear as a "threatened species." But that protection is NOT enough to save polar bears from extinction unless the Obama Administration closes these disastrous loopholes for global warming polluters and oil companies. Without uncompromising protection, the polar bear is likely to become extinct in Alaska by 2050 -- along with two-thirds of the world's entire polar bear population -- as the Arctic sea ice it depends on for survival melts away. I'm counting on you to make an emergency contribution for the sake of polar bear survival. Right now, as the Arctic summer sea ice retreats, polar bears will be forced to swim ever greater distances in search of food -- and more are likely to drown. These magnificent Arctic creatures deserve the strongest protection our country can provide -- and your support can help NRDC win it for them. Thank you for helping us answer the polar bear's S.O.S. Sincerely, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council P.S. Please give your most generous emergency gift now -- because NRDC's fight in federal court is the last and best line of defense for the polar bear. We must win a swift victory -- because, otherwise, Alaska's polar bears could be wiped out by 2050!

Greenland ice could fuel severe U.S. sea level rise

New York, Boston and other cities on North America's northeast coast could face a rise in sea level this century that would exceed forecasts for the rest of the planet if Greenland's ice sheet keeps melting as fast as it is now, researchers said on Wednesday.

Sea levels off the northeast coast of North America could rise by 12 to 20 inches more than other coastal areas if the Greenland glacier-melt continues to accelerate at its present pace, the researchers reported.

This is because the current rate of ice-melting in Greenland could send so much fresh water into the salty north Atlantic Ocean that it could change the vast ocean circulation pattern sometimes called the conveyor belt. Scientists call this pattern the meridional overturning circulation.

"If the Greenland melt continues to accelerate, we could see significant impacts this century on the northeast U.S. coast from the resulting sea level rise," said Aixie Hu, lead author of an article on the subject in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"Major northeastern cities are directly in the path of the greatest rise," said Hu, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

Although low-lying Florida and Western Europe are often considered the most vulnerable to sea level changes, the northeast U.S. coast is particularly vulnerable because the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is susceptible to global warming.

The AMOC is the giant circulation in the Atlantic with warm and salty seawater flowing northward in the upper ocean and cold seawater flowing southward at depth. Global warming could cause an ocean surface warming and freshening in the high-latitude North Atlantic, preventing the sinking of the surface water, which would slow the AMOC.

This is an even bleaker assessment than an earlier study indicated. A March article in the journal Nature Geoscience said warmer water temperatures could shift ocean currents so as to raise sea levels off the U.S. northeast coast by about 8 inches more than the average global sea level rise.

NOT LIKELY BUT POSSIBLE

However, this earlier research did not include the impact of melting Greenland ice, which would speed changes in ocean circulation and send 4 to 12 more inches of water toward northeastern North America, on top of the average global sea level rise.

That could put residents of New York, Boston and Halifax, Nova Scotia, at risk since these cities and others lie close to sea level now, Hu said in answer to e-mailed questions.

Not only would coastal residents be at direct risk from flooding but drainage systems would suffer as salty ocean water would move back into river deltas, changing the biological environment, Hu wrote in an e-mail.

"In a flooding zone, because the higher sea level may impede the function of the drainage system, the future flood may become more severe," he wrote. If cities are prone to subsidence -- where the ground sinks -- higher sea levels would also make that problem worse, according to Hu.

The ice that covers much of Greenland is melting faster now due to global climate change, raising world sea levels. But sea level does not rise evenly around the globe. Sea level in the North Atlantic is now 28 inches lower than in the North Pacific, because the Atlantic has a dense, compact layer of deep, cold water that the Pacific lacks.

Greenland's ice-melt rate has increased by 7 percent a year since 1996 but Hu said it is unlikely to continue. Still, he and his co-authors ran computer simulations that included this fast-paced melting, along with more moderate scenarios with ice-melt increasing by 3 percent or 1 percent annually.

Hu said it was hard to say whether the 7 percent annual increase could go on for the next 50 years but said it was possible since the current rate of increase in climate-warming carbon dioxide is higher than the high end of projections by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Source:
Reuters, "Greenland ice could fuel severe U.S. sea level rise", accessed May 28, 2009

From the Inbox - Congress Otter Help these Critters

Will Your Representative Help Sea Otters? Sea otters need help to stay on the road to recovery. Ask your Representative to cosponsor the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act to help save sea otters! Fast fact: Sea otters eat approximately 25% of their weight in food each day. Increase your impact: Forward this message on to others who care about wildlife! Until the fur trade nearly wiped them out, there were nearly a million southern sea otters off America's west coast. These playful marine mammals are now protected, but disease, food shortages and other threats could derail their recovery of these furry marine mammals. Congress could provide much-needed funding for sea otter research and conservation with new legislation to keep these marine mammals on the road to recovery -- but your representative needs to hear from you today. Please urge your representative to cosponsor the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 556) and help keep sea otters on the road to recovery. California’s sea otters have been slowly recovering over the last seventy years. But recently, sea otter populations have stagnated, prompting concern among conservationists and scientists. In order to help save these beloved animals, biologists need to be able to study causes of sea otter deaths -- and the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act will provide vital funding to do just that. Please ask your representative to help ensure a brighter future for sea otters by cosponsoring the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 556). Sea otters play an important role in the entire near-shore habitat where they live -- including the economies of nearby coastal communities and beyond. They control sea urchins and other creatures that would otherwise devastate their kelp forest habitat, spelling doom for a variety of marine life -- including several commercially important species of fish and crab. And tourists who come to see these marvelous mammals bobbing in the kelp, bring millions of dollars annually to local economies. Take action now to help sea otters -- ask your representative to cosponsor the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act today! Thanks for all you do to help wildlife and the places it lives. Sincerely, Jim Curland Marine Program Associate Defenders of Wildlife

Solar power could surge by 2050 in deserts: study

Solar power plants in deserts using mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays have the potential to generate up to a quarter of the world's electricity by 2050, a report by pro-solar groups said on Monday.

The study, by environmental group Greenpeace, the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA) and the International Energy Agency's (IEA) SolarPACES group, said huge investments would also create jobs and fight climate change.

"Solar power plants are the next big thing in renewable energy," said Sven Teske of Greenpeace International and co-author of the report. The technology is suited to hot, cloudless regions such as the Sahara or Middle East.

The 28-page report said investments in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants were set to exceed 2 billion euros ($2.80 billion) worldwide this year, with the biggest installations under construction in southern Spain and California.

"Concentrating solar power could meet up to 7 percent of the world's projected power needs in 2030 and a full quarter by 2050," it said of the most optimistic scenario.

That assumes a giant surge in investments to 21 billion euros a year by 2015 and 174 billion a year by 2050, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Under that scenario, solar plants would have installed capacity of 1,500 gigawatts by 2050.

That is far more optimistic than business-as-usual projections by the Paris-based IEA, which advises rich nations. It indicates that "by 2050 the penetration of solar power would be no higher than 0.2 percent globally," the report noted.

CSP uses arrays of hundreds of mirrors or lenses to concentrate the sun's rays to temperatures between 400 and 1,000 Celsius (750-1,800 Fahrenheit) to provide energy to drive a power plant.

SUNNY

It differs from solar photovoltaics, which turn the sun's rays directly into electricity in panels and generate some power even on overcast days. CSP works only under sunny skies.

"We now have a third billion-dollar technology alongside wind and solar photovoltaics," Teske told Reuters.

The report said generation costs range from 0.15 to 0.23 euros per kilowatt hour -- above fossil fuels or many renewables -- and would fall to 0.10-0.14 euros by 2020. Guaranteed sales prices were needed to spur investments, it said.

CSP installations made up just 430 Megawatts of the world's electricity generation capacity at the end of 2008.

"CSP plants can deliver reliable industry-scale power supply around the clock due to storage technologies and hybrid operations within the power plant," said Jose Nebrera, president of ESTELA.

Source:
Reuters, "Solar power could surge by 2050 in deserts: study", accessed May 26, 2009

U.N.'s Ban says climate change pace "alarming"

The impact of climate change is accelerating at an "alarming" pace and urgent action must be taken, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.

"What is frightening is that the scientists are now reviewing their predictions, recognizing that climate change impact is accelerating at a much faster pace," Ban said, referring to the ongoing fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"This is very serious and alarming. That is why I have been urging that if we take any action, we must take action now regardless of where you are coming from. Rich and poor countries, we must address this issue together," Ban told a seminar.

The call for urgency echoed similar comments by the U.N. chief at a business conference on climate policy last weekend in Denmark. Business leaders met in Copenhagen to discuss long-term climate policies, ahead of a U.N. conference in December meant to forge a new climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Source:
Reuters, "U.N.'s Ban says climate change pace "alarming"", accessed May 27, 2009

From the Inbox - Protect an acre with one action

Dear Friend, An opportunity like this is hard to ignore. Today, with one simple action you can have an incredible impact in the fight against climate change. Take the 10,000 Acre Challenge and help stop the burning and clearing of Earth’s precious forests. Ask at least three friends or family members to sign Conservation International’s Protect an Acre pledge, and an acre of tropical forest will be protected in your name. During CI’s 10,000 Acre Challenge, CI’s Chairman’s Council members have pledged to sponsor the protection of up to 10,000 acres of precious forest. Once you spread the word, an acre will not only be protected in your honor, but also on behalf of each friend and family member who signs our pledge. People need nature to thrive, and each one of us has a critical role in solving the global crisis of climate change. Today you have a real opportunity help grow our ranks and personally protect life-sustaining forests. By urging your friends and family members to sign the Protect an Acre Pledge, you will bring us one step closer to our 10,000 acre goal. And if we meet the challenge, CI’s Chairman’s Council will save 10,000 acres of forest from destruction. Protecting forests is vital because they provide the fresh air that we breathe and the clean water we drink. Forests are the earth’s lungs — safely storing away harmful CO2 in their lush soils, roots and stems. By spreading the word to at least three friends, you are also taking the Protect an Acre pledge and adding your voice of support to help urge government leaders to incorporate forest protection into policies on climate change — for the good of our climate, all people, endangered species, and our planet. We’ll present the names of all pledge signers at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit. A stable climate is not a luxury. Please share CI’s Protect an Acre Pledge with as many friends and family members as possible. If we reach our goal, 10,000 acres of forest will be protected. That’s equivalent to removing 400,000 cars from the road. To succeed, we all must work together. We must take care of nature so that nature can take care of us. Thank you, Beth Wallace VP, Digital Marketing

From the Inbox - Shocking New Evidence of Palin's Bloody War on Wolves

America Deserves the Truth about Sarah Palin Our ad will help spotlight the brutal consequences of Sarah Palin’s aerial wolf killing. We need to raise $75,000 by Monday, June 1st to run our television ad in upstate New York media markets during Sarah Palin’s scheduled June 6th visit to Auburn and support other efforts to save wildlife. Please contribute whatever you can today. We’ve seen appalling new images of Governor Sarah Palin’s cruel war on wolves -- pictures Palin would never want seen on a postcard from Alaska: Wolf carcasses skinned and stacked in piles in the woods; Dead wolves riddled with buckshot and lying bloody in the snow; Sarah Palin’s hired killers smiling and posing in front of an airplane loaded down with recently slaughtered wolves. [1] You can help expose Palin’s brutal, senseless killing of Alaska’s wolves. Your contribution of $25.00, $50.00, $100.00 or another amount will help Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund keep the national spotlight on Palin’s barbarism, lobby for federal legislation to end this awful wolf killing program and protect wolves and other imperiled wildlife. On June 6th, we have a unique chance to reach more citizens and media about the Palin carnage. She is scheduled to be in Auburn, New York to celebrate 50 years of Alaska statehood and New Yorker William Seward’s 1867 purchase of Alaska -- a purchase then known as “Seward’s Folly.” With your donation, we’ll make sure that more caring people learn the truth about Sarah’s Palin’s own folly -- an expensive, unscientific and horrific wolf-killing program that has already massacred more than 1,000 wolves. To place the next round of Eye on Palin television ads in this New York market, we need to raise $75,000 by next Monday (June 1st). Can you send what you can afford? The gruesome images described above are just the tip of the iceberg. After Palin's henchmen executed 14 poor pups last summer -- with a shot each to the head -- and more than 250 wolves were killed during the recently concluded 2008/2009 aerial gunning season, Palin's administration is resorting to even more extreme tactics to kill wolves. This summer, poison gas bombs will be thrown into dens and snares will be set at the mouths of dens to kill off newborn pups and to prevent wolf numbers from increasing. Extreme wolf-killing programs like these are already having a devastating effect on wolf populations. Wolf population estimates indicate that almost all of the wolves in the Upper Yukon/Tanana predator control region (near the Yukon Charlie Rivers National Wildlife Preserve) may have been killed over the winter, with 133 wolves killed by aerial gunning and another 80 expected to be trapped. [2] Don’t let Palin and her trophy hunting cronies get away with it. Please donate now to help save the lives of wolves targeted by Palin’s brutal programs. Besides keeping the media heat on Palin, your compassionate contribution will build momentum for passage of federal legislation to end her aerial wolf-killing programs an effort that has already garnered more than 30 original co-sponsors for the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act. With your caring support, we will end this cruelty. Please donate now. With Gratitude, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund P.S. We need to make our media buys to expose Palin’s aerial wolf killing very soon. Please make a secure donation online now or call 1-800-425-4632 to make a donation by phone. Notes [1] Access to these awful photos is currently restricted. Our sister organization Defenders of Wildlife has filed a request under Alaska’s Open Records Act to make these photos public. [2] The National Park Service estimates that up to 213 wolves made their homes in the Upper Yukon / Tanana predator control region prior to this past winter’s “control” efforts.

Clinton to Cities - Act on Climate

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Tuesday urged urban leaders and policymakers they need to take the lead now in fighting climate change.

"What are you going to do and how much are you going to spend?" Clinton asked leaders from the world's biggest cities at a climate summit being held in South Korea's capital, Seoul.

Officials from the world's 40 biggest cities plus 17 affiliate municipalities are attending the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, which ends on Thursday.

Waiting for nations to take the lead with a new climate protocol in Copenhagen in December is not an option, said David Miller (right), mayor of Toronto and chairman of the C40 Cities Leadership Group.

"If governments talk about reducing CO2 (carbon dioxide), cities are the ones that show how it's done," Miller said. "The point is that cities act, and working together we have a scale and a size that we dramatically increase people's ability to fight climate change.

"The challenge for national governments is that while they can sometimes reach agreement they don't know how to act collectively," Miller continued. "For cities, that's easier. We all have climate strategies, but can make our actions work better and make the partnerships to do that."

The Seoul summit is the third conference by cities held to discuss responses to climate change. The C40 group was established in London in 2005. A second summit was held in New York in 2007.

Much of the talk at this week's conference was how major urban centers could work toward adhering to the Kyoto Protocol, the existing environmental treaty that sets targets for nations to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. Adopted in December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force in February 2005.

In countries that did not sign up to the Kyoto agreement, cities took it upon themselves to reduce their carbon footprint. While the United States did not sign Kyoto, 825 U.S. cities and towns signed up to a climate protection agreement that embraced that protocol's goals.

Some nations that signed Kyoto have set more ambitious environmental targets. Copenhagen, for example, aims to be the world's first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

Toronto, like other cities, will be sending a city delegation to Copenhagen for the U.N. summit in December. There to lobby governments and for a parallel cities summit, Miller hopes that the actions that cities are taking now, and the partnership that he expects to be made while in Seoul this week, will serve as examples that the carbon reduction goals can be reached.

"Copenhagen is very important for all countries to agree, because we are losing the battle. Cities will be there and we're going to be very active. We'll have credibility because we are actually doing things. We'll be able to say to governments that they need to engage, empower and resource cities so we can accomplish the goals."

How to actually reduce CO2 emissions is the purpose of the Seoul summit, Clinton reminded delegates. Representing around 600 million people worldwide, mayors and policymakers in Seoul have the ability to make a difference with climate change policies, the former U.S. president added.

If the methods of reducing a city's carbon footprint are known there is still the question of the means, which vary wildly between the first world urban areas such as Seoul, London and Toronto, and other attendees from cities in the developing world, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Lagos, Nigeria.

Miller believes that providing good examples of effective climate change policies and grasping the opportunity for cities to take the lead in planning for a low-carbon future should not be missed.

He highlighted Toronto's own "tower renewal" project, retrofitting buildings in a run-down area of town that he hopes will be an example of a carbon-neutral urban renewal project that can be applicable elsewhere.

New building projects in two areas of London and the creation of a new city in central Florida -- Destiny -- were among 16 projects announced at the summit as climate-positive initiatives and supported by the Clinton Climate Initiative. Once built, these projects will absorb more CO2 than they use, supporters claimed.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (left) introduced the South Korean capital's ambitious environmental plans, including building a vast path of park land bisecting the capital.

Delegates cited practical challenges they are facing. The spread of the H1N1 virus had crippled Mexico City's economy by scaring off tourists, officials from that city said at the summit. Without money, they said, even the most promising environmental plans can struggle.

Luis Castaneda Lossio (right), the mayor of Lima, Peru, highlighted the initiatives his city is trying to pursue. Compared to Seoul's thousands of acres of parkland, he admitted they had struggled to plant 150 trees in the traffic-clogged city.

"Solidarity is essential!" Lossio said with verve as a final remark during his address on making Lima a low-carbon city.

It was a sentiment echoed by Miller, who highlighted the opportunities for cities such as Toronto to take a lead during the global economic recession.

"I've always believed in activist governments. The private sector is in retreat. The green agenda is a way to restart the economy by doing the right thing. If there are ways for the governments to create incentives, like grants for solar power, then you can kick-start the economy on the right path, but cities and government importantly have to do that now. We have a great opportunity."

Source:
Cable News Network, "Bill Clinton to cities: Act on climate", accessed May 26, 2009