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At a UCLA event this afternoon to launch a global initiative on climate change, Mayor Villaraigosa embraced former President Bill Clinton with a warm introduction. The text is after the jump, with his remarks on the climate initiative:
"On behalf of America's second-largest city and the world's twelfth-largest metropolitan area, I am here to today to say that we need to take responsibility for the urban contribution to global climate change.
More than that, because cities have always been the centers of human enlightenment and possibility, we need to recognize that cities and their leaders have a special obligation to lead.
Let me say how honored and humbled I am to stand with two giants of our time, Prime Minister Blair and President Clinton, each of whom has led the global call to action in response to global warming.
Today we are announcing that the City of Los Angeles will join an historic agreement with the Clinton Foundation, the City of London and the largest cities on every continent around the world to coordinate our policies in the effort to protect our world's climate.
The evidence is incontrovertible. The scientific consensus is deafening.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, last year was the warmest in two millennia, and 2006 promises to be hotter still.
We can't think about global warming as some far-away problem of melting polar ice caps, rising sea-levels, and distant hurricanes in remote places. It is OUR problem here in Los Angeles.
The State of California says that we can expect a significant melting of the Sierra snow pack, our major source of drinking water, and an increase in heat-wave days. In the last 2 weeks, we all witnessed the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable populations and on our City's power supply.
More hot days mean more smog and a greater risk of wildfires. A rise in sea-levels threatens low lying areas like the Bay Area and the groundwater basins in Southern California.
This is a global problem with severe local repercussions.
The time to act is NOW.
Just as NO family would watch its house burn down without rallying the community to fight the fire, we need to sound the alarm, join hands, and face this challenge together.
We can't afford to dither, delay, or declare defeat for another year. This is a crisis that we can and must meet.
This is why I have also joined with 200 other Mayors in the US Mayors Agreement on Climate Change in which we have pledged to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets.
It's going to require bold action to meet those targets. And we are setting big goals in Los Angeles.
I realize that our city has historically been more synonymous with sprawl and smog, but we're committed to making LA the greenest big city in America and a model for sustainable practices.
Let me briefly describe our action plan to combat global warming here in LA:
The burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transportation is the major source of greenhouse gas emission worldwide. Here, our Department of Water and Power is our major single source for greenhouse gas emissions.
That's why I have directed the City to get 20 percent of the electricity it sells from renewable resources by the year 2010 - 7 years before the rest of the state.
This single action will reduce the City's global warming emissions by 20 percent from 2004 levels.
It will also reduce conventional air pollution and help fuel the growth of the green economy in our city.
We are also pioneering an initiative to reduce air pollution at our Port and Airport.
Just this June, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach joined together to sign a historic clean air plan that will cut down on greenhouse gases by increasing the use of alternative fuels, electrifying more equipment and requiring greater efficiency in Port operations.
And we're doing more.
§ We are planting a million trees and increasing open space around the City.
§ We are converting more of the City's fleet to alternative fuels. The City's entire fleet of refuse collection trucks will be powered by alternative fuels by 2010.
§ We are expanding and promoting green buildings and green roofs to reduce energy use and save natural resources.
§ We're looking at every measure we can take to conserve every watt of energy and every drop of water.
§ We're expanding mass transit and promoting transit-oriented development and smart land use practices.
Reducing LA's contribution to global warming will bring multiple benefits to Angelenos. We'll cut smog. We'll save money on energy costs. We'll reduce our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels. And we'll make LA a more livable city.
Mayors and cities around the world recognize that we are all on the front lines of global warming. We are the first responders - and we can't afford to wait.
I want to thank UCLA for hosting this important event. I also want to thank Prime Minister Blair and Mayors Livingston and Newsom for being here.
By harnessing the talent of the governments and people of the world, we can meet this challenge and leave a healthier planet for our children - and a world that's populated by vibrant and livable cities.
And now, it is my high honor and distinct privilege to introduce a man who's spent his entire career in public life working to make this vision a reality.
As President, he helped negotiate the Kyoto Protocol that rallied the resolve of the entire world community to halt global climate change.
He expanded protections for our forests and public lands.
He created new national monuments.
He fought to restore national treasures like the Everglades and the Bay Delta.
He strengthened clean air standards.
He made improving children's health a top national priority.
And in ALL his work - both inside and outside of office - he has always challenged us to build a bridge to a sustainable future.
Please join me in welcoming the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton!"