Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

ken_livingstone.jpgOn Thursday, as New York City's highest ranking transportation officials argued before City Council that the city's increasing traffic congestion and automobile dependence is "an indication of the vitality and the growth of the city of New York," London's Mayor Ken Livingstone was in Davos, Switzerland announcing that he aims "to make London the world's leading center for research and financial development on climate change." Livingstone said:

Cities produce 75 per cent of global carbon emissions and it is therefore in cities that the battle against climate change will have to be won... Climate change is a tremendous challenge to humanity. But for London it is also a tremendous opportunity. The world is shifting to a new technical and financial system in which we do not produce and waste energy, in the form of carbon, but must conserve it. London has the potential to be at the centre of this shift.

Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Charles Schumer (who happens to be married to New York City's highest ranking transportation official) are also focused on financial systems. They continue to use their clout to press the case that New York City is "losing its leading competitive position" to London and other world cities due to onerous corporate financial regulations. Financial journalist James Surowiecki, in this week's New Yorker, writes that it is difficult to find evidence to back up these claims.

Meanwhile, the evidence that climate change is human-induced and happening much faster than previously thought, is increasingly abundant. But for Bloomberg, Schumer and Weinshall, climate change either is not on the radar at all, or it's an issue to be dealt with far off in the future. So, as Mayor Livingstone positions his city to be a 21st century global leader, New York City's leaders, remarkably, fiddle with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and keep the traffic moving.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Monday’s Headlines Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride

Donald Trump takes office again today, and although he's unpredictable, let's read some tea leaves.

January 20, 2025

Congestion Pricing Gets Kids To School On Time, Data Shows

Data shared with Streetsblog shows school buses traveling faster and being late less since congestion pricing began.

January 17, 2025

‘Transportation Cannot Do It Alone’: US DOT Dep. Sec. Polly Trottenberg Signs Off

As USDOT's second-in-command, Polly Trottenberg oversaw massive shifts in America transportation policy — and she says the work is not done yet.

January 17, 2025

Confusion as Portland’s Road Death Toll is Alarmingly High

A spike in traffic deaths has tarnished Portland’s image as a bike-forward oasis, but advocates hope street safety improvements will accelerate in 2025.

January 17, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Gaze Into the Future

Driverless cars still face challenges but seem more inevitable than ever. There are two ways it could go.

January 17, 2025
See all posts