Seattle's leadership on reducing carbon emissions and what comes next
Sunday, I will arrive in Copenhagen, leading the U.S. Conference of Mayors in the next round of international negotiations on climate change. It's a good time to reflect on what we have accomplished here, and what we must continue. The bottom line: Despite the haggling and setbacks, the world will continue to take steps to address climate change. And cities that embrace change early will develop a competitive advantage in the global economy against those that don't.
WHEN I became Seattle mayor in January 2002, climate change was not top of mind. It wasn't that environmental concerns didn't register prominently in my thinking. Instead, it seemed like global warming was a problem that impacted other places, and the Bush administration would certainly step up with a solution. I was wrong on both counts.
