Praise for Nickels as 1,000th city signs his climate pact

With an ovation from his peers, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels on Friday announced the 1,000th city had signed his climate-protection agreement, a pledge to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in line with Kyoto Protocol standards.

Pointing out that the Kyoto agreement, aimed at fighting global warming, hasn't been ratified by the U.S. government, Nickels said, "We need to lead, city by city." The 1,000th city was Mesa, Ariz., and Mayor Scott Smith gave a tribute to Nickels "and his passion toward this issue."

Nickels made the presentation at a leadership meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the Westin Hotel downtown. Nickels is the organization's president, and he was to serve in that post until June. But his defeat in the August mayoral primary means he will resign the mayors-conference post when he leaves office at the end of the year.

The gathering has drawn 63 mayors to Seattle, of the 1,300 who belong to the organization. The conference, which continues over the weekend, is focused on climate protection.

Nickels said the 1,000 cities that have signed his climate-protection agreement represent 86 million people.

Nickels said that when he was elected mayor in 2001, global warming was not on the front burner. But during the dry winter of 2004-05, he realized how important it was for Seattle to lessen its carbon footprint. Seattle became the first city to sign the climate agreement in February 2005.

Nickels said he had hoped to get 141 mayors to sign it, the same number of countries that had signed the Kyoto Protocol. He said his staff thought it would be impossible; the goal was met in three months.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who signed the agreement, also praised Nickels. "This is where the movement began," he said.

Nickels was asked how he felt about leaving office amid all the applause from the nation's mayors. He spoke of his accomplishments in helping launch the light-rail system and in getting plans in place to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct. "I have nothing but joy in my head," he said.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes