KYOTO -- More than 100 local government leaders from 26 nations agreed Saturday to an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
"Under the Kyoto Climate Action Declaration, we call on all nations to move urgently to negotiate targets for the second commitment period (post-2012) of a 30 percent reduction by 2020 and 80 percent reduction by 2050 (in greenhouse gas emissions)," said Kyoto Mayor Yorikane Masumoto, whose city is hosting the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change.
The declaration also urges national governments to cut reliance on fossil fuels by setting favorable frameworks for renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation technologies and integrated, multi-modal transportation systems.