Thirty cities have agreed to measure their carbon footprints under the Carbon Disclosure Project, which is partnering with the ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability USA, an international association of local governments working on environmental issues, Reuters reports.
In an effort to find ways to curb emissions blamed for climate change, cities including New York, Las Vegas, Denver,West Palm Beach, St. Paul, and New Orleans, have agreed to disclose their carbon emissions. At least nine more are expected to take part. Urban traffic, buildings and manufacturers emit 70 percent of the world's greenhouse gases.
The participating cities will gather emissions information from their municipal functions, such as government buildings, waste services and fire and police departments, and assess emissions from the city as a whole. The cities will submit their responses to CDP by Oct. 31, with the results published in the group's first cities report in January.
Earlier this year, at a meeting on private investments and climate change, CDP Chairman James Cameron told the UN General Assembly that the world must reach an agreement on a new international treaty that is binding in international law.
