Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Brisbane doesn't quite qualify
Despite flying delegates in from all around the globe - instead of perhaps using video-conferencing equipment - Red Ken [Livingstone]’s jolly, the “World Cities Leadership Climate Change Summit”, seems worthy enough.

Cities generate 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from the building, heating, cooling, servicing and finally the demolishing of the built environment. This is a poor record, as cities account for less than half of humanity. But conversely, cities are often better prepared to tackle their own profligacy. They have the knowledge, cohesiveness and, under the right leadership, the drive, to move towards a more ecologically sustainable future.

The Summit will bring together the varied and innovative strategies that different cities around the world are implementing to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Learning from each other should increase the rate of adoption of such practices.

Highlights include:

• Berlin, where 75% of all new buildings have photo-voltaic systems installed
• Mexico City, which aims to replace 80,000 gas-guzzling taxis with low emission vehicles by 2006
• Copenhagen, which has achieved a 35% cycling journey-to-work mode share
• Singapore (which inspired London), which has innovative road and congestion tolling
• Toronto, where the cold waters of Lake Ontario are used to cool office buildings in the hot summers and
• Honolulu, where any number of sustainable strategies could be used as examples

Regrettably, our Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman, has not been invited to the World Cities Leadership Climate Change Summit. Despite some bold investment in greenhouse gas mitigation by the previous administration - by way of the South East Busway, current city policy is aimed at boosting emissions through encouraging more car driving.

It appears Brisbane City Council’s staff “Walk to Work Day” this Friday, was not quite enough to qualify Brisbane for an invite to the summit. Actually, it is doubtful the initiative will discouragee a single car journey, as group walks have been organised from Toowong, Fortitude Valley and South Bank – all suburbs on the train line through the city.

No, instead, our Lord Mayor is off to Chongquig in China, on the Greater Brisbane China Mayoral Mission, to help boost trade in useless bamboo lifetstyle objects and cheap home furnishings.

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