Survey: Mayors Taking Climate Action

Results show results on low-hanging fruit, not politically fraught actions Mayors across the country are leading the nation, when it comes to taking action to reduce energy use, curb greenhouse gas emissions and otherwise combat climate change. They're focusing on the low-hanging fruit, primarily -- replacing street lights with electricity-stingy LEDs, for instance, improving the energy efficiency of government buildings, and converting vehicle fleets to biofuel or hybrid models. At least 36 cities, according to the survey, had taken such steps. But when it comes to the more politically difficult steps, like requiring energy efficiency in new private buildings, the mayors were more cautious, overall -- showing that they see political pitfalls in taking aggressive action if it means impeding on people's day-to-day lives or on the interests of important businesses in the community, according to a story in the June 22 USA Today.