Government officials and policy makers from 30 cities gathered at Columbia University on Thursday to discuss ties between public health issues and global warming.
The summit entitled "Public Health and Climate Change: The Urban Policy Connection" will continue Friday at City Hall.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a keynote address at Columbia's Low Library, followed by two panel discussions on how to address urban public health challenges caused by climate change with officials from Sao Paulo, New York, Toronto, Mexico City and Copenhagen.
Bloomberg emphasized the responsibility of the world's cities to address global warming even when national governments fail to act, asserting that there are critical connections linking efforts to control climate change to public health.
"The measures our cities take to shrink our carbon footprints have the additional, and in many cases immediate, benefit of dramatically improving the health of our citizens," he added.
The summit also served as the launch of the Global Partners Innovation Exchange Website. This online resource will showcase the best practices in the governance of global cities on a wide range of issues. The website targets policymakers and practitioners in cities around the world.
Source:Xinhua
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