City
leaders tackle global warming The warming of the planet will have dramatic impacts on people, our economy, and the planet. Federal, state, and local governments will all need to enact strong public policies if we are to reverse the problems created by global warming. Municipal governments are taking significant action; examples from London and New York City show how simple concepts can have profound results. |
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London's mayor urges international colleagues to support “congestion charge” as a global warming solution London mayor Ken Livingstone praised a “congestion charge” as a way to reduce global warming pollution to a group of world mayors gathered for the U.N. World Environment Day Conference. "We are the only city in the Western world where there's a notable shift from car use to public transport," he said.”This is the only thing I've done in my political life that turned out better than I hoped." Despite protests, Livingstone imposed a $9 fee in 2003 on drivers entering an eight-square-mile area of central London that includes its financial and entertainment districts between 7:00 AM and 6:30 PM. The charge has drawn people out of their cars and filled city buses, subways, and sidewalks. Congestion inside the zone had been reduced by over 30 percent, and central London is a more pedestrian-friendly city. Livingstone was re-elected last year. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has also introduced a congestion charge in Manhattan, with funds used to improve public transportation. |
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New York mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to replace gas-guzzling cab fleet with hybrids As part of his ambitious environmental agenda for the city, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to replace 13,000 cabs with hybrid vehicles by 2012. Retiring these cars—90 percent of which are Crown Victorias—will have the same impact on air quality as removing 32,000 privately owned vehicles from the road. In the last two years, the city has added about 375 hybrid vehicles to the yellow cab fleet, including models like the Toyota Prius sedan; the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, a sport utility vehicle; and the Ford Escape, another SUV. The mayor’s plan will triple that number by October 2008, and the number will grow by about 20 percent each year after that. |
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