Chicago's Green Plans Falling Short

"As part of his high-profile agenda to transform a gritty, smog-choked metropolis into a tree-lined showcase for green initiatives, Mayor Richard Daley enrolled the city in a network of corporations and governments that pledged to curb emissions of greenhouse gases by 4 percent during the last four years. The network, called the Chicago Climate Exchange, is widely seen as a proving ground for a mandatory national system being debated in Congress."

"City officials have had some success reducing the amount of gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas burned by government vehicles and buildings, records show. But those improvements have been more than offset by the city's surging demand for electricity, some of which is generated by burning fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."

"The city's lack of progress highlights how the mayor's environmentally friendly speeches failed to translate into aggressive action at City Hall."