Bloomberg's New Role: UN Climate Change Envoy
Thursday, 30 Jan 2014 08:15 PM
Former New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg has been tapped to be U.N. special envoy for cities and climate change, sources familiar with
the situation said on Thursday.
Barring any last minute changes, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon —
who is seeking to re-energize the global climate change debate and boost the United
Nations' role — could make the announcement as early as Friday, the sources
said on the condition of anonymity.
Bloomberg, a billionaire
philanthropist who left office last month, made combating climate change a key
focus during his 12 years leading the United States' most populous city.
He also advocated for national climate change legislation.
Bloomberg has played a leading
role in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international group of
mayors created in 2005 and dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The
C40 group, of which Bloomberg is president of the board, is due to meet in Johannesburg next week.
He announced last month that New York City's
greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 19 percent since 2005, putting the
city nearly two-thirds of the way to meeting the goal that he set five years
ago.
In the climate change blueprint he
launched in 2007, called PlaNYC 2030, Bloomberg set a goal to slash citywide
emissions 30 percent by 2030 through a number of initiatives, such as requiring
hybrid taxi cabs, building bike lanes and retrofitting municipal buildings to
make them more energy efficient.
Bloomberg pledged to continue
focusing on promoting his key causes — combating climate change, gun control
and immigration — after leaving office through his philanthropic work.
The United Nations will host a one-day climate change summit in New York on Sept. 23.
Many developing nations want it to be a deadline for rich countries to outline
planned cuts in greenhouse gases beyond 2020 as a key step towards a global
climate deal in 2015.
Last month, Ban appointed former
Ghanaian President John Kufuor and former Norwegian
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
as special envoys on climate change to drum up support for the planned
September conference.
Ever since the 2009 U.N. climate
summit in Copenhagen
failed to secure a deal on a binding treaty on reducing carbon emissions, the
United Nations has been sidelined, U.N. diplomats and officials say.
Climate discussions have shifted
away from the world body to bilateral talks between key world powers and the Group of 20 club of major developed and
developing nations.
But Ban has long seen galvanizing
support for global action on climate change as key to his legacy as
secretary-general, the officials and diplomats say, and is eager to restore the
United Nations' relevance to the climate negotiations.
Michael Bloomberg
Michael R.
Bloomberg was the New York (NY) mayor, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone, a donor for the
Robin Hood Foundation, is a member
of the Clinton Global Initiative,
and Marjorie B. Tiven’s brother.
Note: Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Harlem Children's Zone, the Robin
Hood Foundation, and the Climate
Reality Project.
George
Soros was a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and a board member for the International Crisis Group.
Lawrence H. Summers is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, a board
member for the International Crisis
Group, was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration, and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Jens Stoltenberg
is a member of the Clinton Global
Initiative, and was the prime minister for Norway.
Ban
Ki-Moon is a member of the Clinton
Global Initiative, and the secretary general for the United Nations.
Marjorie B. Tiven
is the New York City commissioner for the United Nations, and Michael R. Bloomberg’s sister.
Albert
A. Gore Jr. is a member of the Clinton
Global Initiative, the chairman for the Climate Reality Project, and a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
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Mary
Meeker is a partner at Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers, and was an analyst for Salomon Brothers.
Michael R.
Bloomberg was a general partner at Salomon
Brothers, the New York (NY) mayor, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone, a donor at the Robin Hood Foundation, is a member of
the Clinton Global Initiative, and Marjorie B. Tiven’s brother.
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