NEW YORK: New York city plans to cut down the 58 million metric tons of greenhouse gas it emitted in 2005 by 30 per cent by 2030 as it attempts to have a leadership role in the fight against global warming.
According to data compiled as part of a global effort by local governments to prepare an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, New York's carbon emissions equaled just 1 per cent of the national total for 2005. It was also less than a third of the average U.S. level per capita.
However, emissions across the city have increased by 8 per cent in the last decade, which if unchecked, could grow to 25 per cent by 2030.
The release of the inventory is the first step in the efforts by mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to regain the city's green credentials even as it will be adding nearly one million residents by 2030. The mayor is expected to reveal his plans on curbing the emissions on Earth Day, that is, on 22 April.
Bloomberg will also be hosting a meeting on climate change in May, in which mayors from more than 30 of the world's largest cities will be participating. The meeting is being organized by the Partnership for New York City, a business group, and the Clinton Climate Initiative, a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation.
According to the data, the city's 950,000 buildings and the power plants located nearby account for 79 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions in the city. The national average for buildings and power plants is 32 per cent. Transportation systems, including mass transit systems, cars and trucks account for most of the remaining 21 per cent emissions.
The data also shows that the city's levels of emission were relatively low when measured per capita -- 7.1 metric tons per person, which is well below the national average of 24.5 tons per person.
New York is one of the 750 cities across world participating in the Local Governments for Sustainability campaign. Some 240 American cities, which are part of the program, have completed the inventory.
