Wednesday, August 02, 2006

But wait, there's more...

This is pretty cool:

Twenty-two of the world's largest cities announced Tuesday they will work together to limit their contributions to global warming in an effort led by former President Bill Clinton.

The Clinton Climate Initiative -- which will create an international consortium to bargain for cheaper energy-efficient products and share ideas on cutting greenhouse gas pollution -- includes Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York as well as Cairo, Egypt; Delhi, India; London and Mexico City. While the group is not setting specific targets for reducing emissions, Clinton said, he is confident the effort will both cut pollution and create jobs in the cities that contribute most to higher temperatures.

One fascinating little tidbit points to an interesting potential strategy. Focus efforts exclusively on the worst emitters (say top 100) for the time being, to reduce potential negative economic consequences, developing world concerns, etc.
The 40 cities he is targeting account for roughly 15 to 20 percent of the world's emissions...

...The Clinton Foundation will focus on providing technical assistance and bargaining power to the participating cities, all with area populations of 3 million or more, employing the same model it has used to lower the price of AIDS medicine for poorer countries.

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