The Mayors Climate Protection Center, founded in 2007 as a subgroup of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is dedicated to providing mayors with "the guidance and assistance they need to lead their cities’ efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to climate change."

The initiative was promoted by Seattle mayor Greg Nickels

Greg Nickels

Gregory J. "Greg" Nickels was the 51st mayor of Seattle, Washington. He took office on January 1, 2002 and was reelected to a second term in 2005. In August 2009, Nickels finished third in the primary election for Seattle mayor, failing to qualify for the November 2009 general election, and...

. Douglas Palmer

Douglas Palmer

Douglas Harold Palmer was the first African American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.- Biography :He was born in Trenton and attended Trenton public schools. He then graduated from the Bordentown Military Institute in Bordentown, New Jersey...

, Mayor of Trenton

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

, said that the Conference of Mayors had, for decades "...formally adopted and actively promoted policy positions on a range of issues affecting energy production and use and its impact on the environment."

Climate Protection Agreement

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels

Greg Nickels

Gregory J. "Greg" Nickels was the 51st mayor of Seattle, Washington. He took office on January 1, 2002 and was reelected to a second term in 2005. In August 2009, Nickels finished third in the primary election for Seattle mayor, failing to qualify for the November 2009 general election, and...

 began the "U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement" in 2005 that seeks the pledges of mayors from all 50 states to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% from 1990 levels by the year 2012, in line with the Kyoto Protocol

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...

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Many mayors have joined the agreement since its announcement:

• By July 2007, 600 mayors had signed the agreement.

• By October 2009, 1,000 mayors representing over 86 million residents signed the agreement.