Clinton announces Latin America initiative

By DEEPTI HAJELA

Associated Press

The Clinton Global Initiative is taking its formula of a powerhouse gathering of global leaders to a new part of the world.

Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that the first Clinton Global Initiative Latin America is scheduled for December 8-10 in Rio de Janeiro. He made the announcement in New York City, at the mid-year meeting for his annual September conference, which brings together leaders in politics, business and philanthropy to tackle the world's biggest problems.

He was joined by the Brazilian city's mayor, Eduardo Paes, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the start of a session discussing climate change and how cities can deal with it.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a CGI commitment that a group of the world's cities would be taking: The creation of an assessment framework for evaluating risks from climate change.

The framework from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group would allow for a common standard that could be used by cities all over the world as they try to figure out what actions to prioritize in trying to mitigate climate change, Bloomberg said in introducing the commitment.

"Cities can't afford to close their eyes and hope for the best," he said. "In many cases, we've already caught a glimpse of what the future may hold."

He added, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

Bloomberg is the current chairman of C40, which was started in 2005 and is a network of cities around the world looking to implement local actions that can impact climate change.