24 October 2008: Mayors and senior officials from 36 of the
world’s largest cities gathered from 22-24 October 2008, in Tokyo, Japan, for
talks on how to fight global warming in the latest meeting of the so-called C40
climate initiative.

The C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, established
in 2005 by London’s then mayor Ken Livingstone, includes leaders from the 40
largest cities in the world dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It
is estimated that cities worldwide are responsible for 75% of all carbon
dioxide emissions. Participants heard a keynote presentation by Martin Parry,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II Chair, and
engaged in a symposium on “The growing threat of climate change and adaptation
measures for a low carbon city,” moderated by Takejiro Sueyoshi, Special
Advisor to the UNEP Finance Initiative.
In his opening remarks, Tokyo Governor
Shintaro Ishihara said that the climate change talks during the Group of Eight
rich nations Summit in July 2008 in Japan, which called for halving global
carbon emissions by 2050, could have achieved more. Toronto Mayor David Miller
highlighted the vulnerability of cities and pointed to the so-called ‘urban
heat island effect,’ in which populated areas heat up in the summer.
Participants then engaged in five sessions on: sustainable adaptation measures
for temperature rise in cities; adaptation measures for water shortage and
deteriorating water source quality from climate change; adaptation measures for
the increasing threat of flood and natural disaster from climate change; food
problems caused by climate change; and further issues needing adaptation
measures.
The next Summit is scheduled to take place in Seoul, Korea, from
18-21 May 2009, around the theme “Cities’ Achievements and Challenges in the
Fight against Climate Change.” [C40 Tokyo
Conference on Climate Change] [C40
Large Cities Climate Summit, 18-21 May 2009]