Press Release

Tokyo joins large cities group to tackle climate change
1-12-2006   623

The Mayor of London today announced that Tokyo has joined major cities around the world pledging to reduce harmful emissions to tackle climate change.
Tokyo is now a member of the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group an organisation chaired by the Mayor of London comprising of most of the largest cities in the world. The Group Urban areas are responsible for over 75 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Therefore reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in cities is fundamental to any effort to slow the pace of global warming.
In August this year, the Mayor joined with former US President Bill Clinton to announce a partnership of the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group and the Clinton Foundation Climate Change Initiative (CCI) to work on an accelerated programme of carbon reductions in urban areas.
The Clinton Foundation has since been visiting each of the cities, discussing with them their current programmes and working with them on opportunities to accelerate this work.
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: ‘As one of the world's most important cities, Tokyo is a significant addition to the Large Cities Climate Change Group. There is much that they will contribute to other members' climate change work. Japan is at the forefront of developing renewable energy technology and Tokyo is leading the world in mapping and reducing its urban heat island and in developing innovative methods to manage flood risk.
‘The world's largest cities have a major role to play in averting catastrophic climate change. Already they are at the centre of developing the technologies and innovative new practices that provide hope that we can radically reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the inevitable impacts.'

Notes to Editors

· The Large Cities Climate Leadership Group comprises of Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Caracas, Chicago, Dehli NCT, Dhaka, Houston, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Toronto, Tokyo.
· Rapid urbanisation has led to increased flood risk from the Tsurumi River in Tokyo. The International Stadium in Yokohama (which hosted the final Game in the 2002 Football World Cup), is elevated on pillars to allow floodwaters to be temporarily stored to manage flood risk.
· Tokyo metropolitan Government has produced a Thermal Environment Map to better understand the factors affecting the city's urban heat island. Using the map, the government has designed areas of the city to reduce the urban heat island through greening the city and creating ventilation paths for breezes to cool the city.
· The LCCP's 'Adapting to climate change : lessons for London' report (July 2006) identifies 18 case studies of international exemplars to adapting to climate change. The above examples from Tokyo are amongst the best in the world.
 
 
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