Moore time at global talkfest

BY FERGUS GRIEVE
Clover Moore has just returned from the Clinton Global Initiative in Hong Kong, barely a month since the city’s own global talkfest, the Metropolis Congress.
The Lord Mayor was part of a panel discussion on energy and climate change, an area in which Bill Clinton identified her as a global leader.
The Hong Kong event was the first CGI meeting to take place outside the United States. It focused on three main areas: education, climate change and public health.
The Former president established the initiative in 2005 to promote cooperation between government, business and NGOs. Members make commitments to take specific action and to report on the results of their efforts.
According to the CGI website, members have made almost 1000 commitments over the past three years, valued at more than $30 billion. Commitments made by Australian members include funding to support humanitarian programs, and the establishment of schools for students who have been expelled from the state education system.
Taking action on environmental issues is not new for the Lord Mayor, who has demonstrated her commitment to running the city more sustainably ever since she swapped the mayoral limousine for a hybrid vehicle during her first term.
But the CGI meeting was an opportunity for Ms Moore to highlight Sydney’s achievements in front of an international audience, which included current and former heads of state and business leaders from across the region.
Ms Moore said participants showed particular interest in Australia’s City Switch program, which is aimed at improving the energy efficiency of businesses.
She also highlighted her target to reduce Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent on 2006 levels by the year 2030. She indicated that her council aims to achieve this by incorporating sustainable design requirements into planning controls, advocating decentralised power generation and promoting public transport, cycling and walking.