By Lina Garcia
May 21, 2007

In late April, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz hosted a Green Forum in partnership with PODER Magazine, to focus on the following four areas: climate change, cities, water and oceans. Speakers presenting at the event, examined a series of issues relating to climate change ranging from the role of local leaders and public policy to financial and political solutions to solve a worldwide problem.

During welcoming remarks, Diaz said about the gathering, “This forum is just one step in a longer journey to identify policies to reverse the impacts of climate change. Global warming knows no boundaries and in order for us to address the impact of such an international crisis plaguing countries, cities and communities worldwide, it will take an exceptional group of leaders to craft creative but realistic responses to effectively face this challenge.”

Speakers at the event included Houston Mayor Bill White; Porto Alegre (Brazil) Mayor Jose Fogaca; Panama City Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro; Nancy Sutley; Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment; and Amedeo Clavarino, President of Fondazione Ambiente from Milan, Italy.

White spoke about the urgency for local leaders to act, in light of a public outcry for leadership and guidance on how communities can make a difference. “We know that the best resource of all is energy efficiency. The public is demanding that we do something new and different.” White also spoke about an innovative program in which the City of Houston helped to retrofit older homes in specific neighborhoods. As part of the program, insulation, and utilizing energy-efficient light bulbs resulted in significant savings in electricity consumed.

The mayor of Panama City reiterated the importance for local elected officials to utilize their leadership roles to change energy consumption habits in cities. “We need to take environmental policy more seriously and implement sustainability policies in every local community, especially in Latin America where it’s just not happening,” said Navarro. “We also need to focus on getting mass transit systems under control.”

Joining the group from Milan, Italy, Amedeo Clavarino, President of Fondazione Ambiente Milano, said that the problems of emitting carbon emissions, high congestion and traffic congestion in cities have become a global epidemic. “Working to have cleaner air and a more sustainable environment will bring numerous benefits to everyone including a better quality of life, longer life expectancies and money savings.”

Sutley articulated that climate change is already affecting water sources in Los Angeles including diminishing supplies. “Climate change will affect our water supply nationally in many different ways, for example, research predicts that by 2050 the southwest will experience a severe drought.” She also mentioned that Los Angeles is already taking serious measures to protect their environment and water distribution systems. Through a recent initiative, environmentally sustainable low-flow toilets and water heads were distributed to a select number of area residents.

Diaz added that, in Miami, he has made his campaign against global warming a top priority. “If the Atlantic Ocean continues to rise at its current level, by 2100 it may rise by as much as seven feet. This would make Miami defenseless against risings tides and storm surges. This is not something we can ignore now and leave for the future. Therefore, I’m diligently working with my fellow mayors throughout the United States, to develop municipal strategies, and lobby federal and state offices to provide more effective support to protect the City of Miami and our planet.”

Other speakers who presented during the two-day international PODER Green Forum included: Dr. David Goldstein, MacArthur Fellow and Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Juan Manuel Santos, Secretary of Defense from Colombia. Event sponsors included Wal-Mart, Televisa, and LibertyPower.