Kyoto Presents its Initiatives at UN Conference on Global Warming

In response to a request from the United Nations, Tsutomu Uehara, deputy mayor of Kyoto City and one of five panelists, reported on his city's anti-global warming initiatives on May 5, 2006 at the 14th session of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD-14). He also took the opportunity to introduce the World Mayors Council on Climate Change to the attendants. The CSD session was held from May 3 to 8 at UN headquarters in New York. It was the first time that Japanese local government officials attended a CSD session independently.

The initiatives presented by the deputy mayor included: Kyoto city ordinances designed to curb global warming, which was introduced in the spring of 2005 as the first local ordinance of its kind in Japan; the "Biodiesel Project", which recycles used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel for municipal buses and trucks; and an environmental certification system, named KES, for small and medium companies.

He also announced that Kyoto will host the second meeting of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change in February 2007 and called for greater participation in the meeting.

The council was established on the initiative of Yorikane Masumoto, Kyoto mayor, in December 2005 to create a worldwide network of local government leaders that would exercise international leadership on climate change issues. The mission of the council is to promote measures against global warming at regional levels and to ensure effective multilateral mechanisms against climate change by enhancing international cooperation and advocacy. The council currently consists of 15 local government leaders worldwide.

http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/kyoto/environment/
- Kyoto City's Biodiesel Project Wins Minister's Award (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/920-e

Posted: 2006/07/12 06:14:12 AM
Japanese version