Despite federal resistance, cities begin embracing Kyoto

[MonteSano]

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mayor John Rayson has seen powerful storm winds toss his boat into the trees. He's noted the fish he catches are smaller and less plentiful. He worries about a home perched just above sea level as ocean levels rise.

And so, he will go before his city commission and ask for building code changes that would provide incentives for putting up environmentally friendly structures and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that this city of 100,000 emits. It's one of a number of earth-friendly measures under way here, from reused water irrigating lawns and parks, to a new library powered by renewable energy.

As Rayson puts it: "I want to see the city do its part."

Local politicians like Rayson abound across this country, attempting to embrace the measures of the Kyoto Protocol — which called for mandatory reductions of greenhouse gases among the signing nations — even as the federal government refuses.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement initiative last year and Rayson and more than 300 other mayors have followed his lead, promising to strive to meet Kyoto targets in their own communities.

"I think it's a common interest that we have that rises above politics," Nickels said. "This really has to do with the survival of our world."

Nickels started the mayors' effort after Kyoto took affect without U.S. participation. At the same time, he said he was experiencing climate change first hand, as Seattle was tracking decreased snow mass in the mountains, a concern because the melted snow contributes to the city's water and power supplies.

"I decided to challenge my community and at the same time challenge other mayors," he said. "I knew it would resonate in Seattle. What I didn't expect was that in many other parts of the country people are experiencing these things too."


http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1161539646154200.xml&storylist=alabamanews

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1. Watch "Toady" Norm Coleman stand up for big business...

Its ironic that the "Free Market" and "Small Government" Republicans shed those skins pretty quickly when their "fund base" is under attack.

Throw all those other issues out the window. The only real issue is: does government work for the people or for the corporations.