Climate Change Tackled by Cities and States

"A recent surge in emissions from such rapidly industrializing countries as China, India and Brazil makes the challenge even tougher. Those nations aren’t likely to consider significant cutbacks unless the nations with the biggest per capita carbon emission rates — especially the United States — undertake serious, sweeping efforts themselves."

"There is hope: regional planners in recent years have laid out a 'Chicagoland' vision that would help carbon cutbacks — guiding growth into city and town centers and along transit corridors, protecting open space and farmland, promoting walking and biking.

True regionalism is perking in Northern California, where three mayors — Chuck Reed of San Jose, Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, and Ron Dellums of Oakland — have just forged, with business and civic leaders, a Bay Area Climate Change Compact with goals ranging from 20,000 'green collar' jobs to big boosts for renewable energy."