Climate Week planned for New York in September

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon unveilved plans for Climate Week to take place in New York City in September.  Climate Week will coincide with a UN summit and look to generate support for a coing global warming treaty.

Climate Week will be be September 21-25 and feature cultural events, workshops, seminars, and other activities organized by non-governmental organizations, businesses, artists, and academia.

Ban Ki-mmon told a press conference that it would coincide with the summit he is hosting at UN headquarters on September 22 "to mobilize the political momentum needed to seal the deal in Copenhagen (in December) on a fair, effective and scientifically ambitious new climate framework."

With New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated  "Climate change also must be addressed at the national level with measures that will encourage America to shrink our climate footprint," Bloomberg said. "America should be a leader in the world.  We are going to do what is right for the planet, what is right for the people of America," he added, stressing that during Climate Week, the city would join in highlighting actions that local government, the corporate world and citizens can take to help usher in a greener world.

The United Nations hopes to wrap up negotiations in Copenhagen in December for a new global warming deal to replace the Kyoto protocol on cutting carbon emissions that expires in 2012.