KYOTO -- Think globally and act locally may be a cliche. But as the ambitious goals set by participants of the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change demonstrated, local governments worldwide are feeling the effects of global warming and believe they can no longer wait on national leaders to do something about it.
The conference, which concluded Sunday, brought together nearly 109 mayors and city council members from 26 countries, as well as environmental NGOs, academics and representatives from industries involved in environmental technologies to discuss ways in which practical, effective and financially viable public policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be introduced at the local level.
The conference was sponsored by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives -- Local Governments for Sustainability, a network of 500 local governments worldwide committed to sustainable development.