City leaders worldwide urge 'swift action' on climate change

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Representatives from about 80 major cities around the
world opened an international forum in Seoul Tuesday to chart strategies in the
fight against global warming, calling on governments to act swiftly to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton warned in a keynote speech during the opening
ceremony that the Earth faces a fatal situation unless greenhouse gas emissions
are reduced by up to 80 percent by 2050.
"I think it's important to be as specific and swift as possible on this matter,"
said Clinton, who attended the opening ceremony of the C40 Large Cities Climate
Summit Seoul along with some 400 representatives and climate change experts from
across the world.
"If we let the worst happen, we won't be able to save the planet for our
grandchildren unless we take extremely expensive measures which can be avoided if
we move now."
Attendants at the third meeting of the C40 summit, founded in 2005 to fight
climate change and green house gas emissions, also included about 80 delegates
from 41 countries, including mayors of Paris, London, Toronto, Moscow, Sydney and
Tokyo, as well as Anna Tibaijuka, the under-secretary-general and executive
director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program.
Emphasizing the need for his country to take the lead in reducing green house gas
emissions and other environmentally-friendly measures, keynote speaker Clinton,
the founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation, said nations "do not have the
luxury of debating."
"The truth is most of the things we debated (in politics) could be grouped into
'What are you going to do' and 'How much are you going to spend on it,'" he said.
"There was almost no discussion on 'how do you propose to invest it to do the
maximum amount of good?' This is the question needed in Copenhagen."
The Seoul C40 summit comes ahead of the 2009 Climate Conference scheduled to be
held in Copenhagen in December, in which parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet for the last time on a government
level before the climate agreement comes up for renewal. The Kyoto Protocol on
climate change and global warming expires in 2012.
"If you don't have a vote in your parliament or a vote in Copenhagen, you need to
go home and do something that will actually help your country sign on," Clinton
added.
Calling Seoul "an example" of what cities can do to reduce carbon and move
swiftly on the climate change issue, Clinton also emphasized that economic
development and green growth can go hand in hand.
"We never ask anyone to bankrupt themselves. We just need to make sure that all
the (economic and environmental) questions are even-footed."
South Korea's Prime Minister Han Seung-soo emphasized Seoul's commitment to the
green growth strategy.
"The Korean government is focusing on turning climate change into an
opportunity," he said. "Under President Lee Myung-bak's low carbon, green growth
plan, the Korean government aims to transform the way we operate our economy."
South Korea is seeking to introduce a carbon tax beginning in 2010 under
President Lee's plan, allocating an estimated 11 trillion won (about US$10
billion) annually for the green growth scheme. South Korea may be required to
join the worldwide greenhouse gas reduction plan in 2013, after the Kyoto
Protocol expires.
Calling the ongoing climate change issue a "worse than the worst case scenario,"
Toronto Mayor David Miller said, emphasizing what he called the "Green Age."
"I believe this is also an opportunity to do something unique. Using power like
wind and solar, building modern infrastructure and replacing the old... is all
part of the new Green Age," he said. "To continue the momentum, all cities must
be resolved in working together. It's not a matter of choice, but necessity."
The Seoul C40 summit will run through Thursday at the Shilla Hotel, in the center
of the city, with experts and city leaders sharing effective practices, building
networks and coming up with a consensus on future action.
Prior to the opening of the forum, meanwhile, the Seoul metropolitan government
and the Clinton foundation signed an MOU on joint implementation of the so-called
"climate positive development program" (CPDP) in Seoul's Magok urban development
project zone, according to officials. CPDP is an initiative aimed at eliminating
greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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