New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed incumbent Barack Obama for president yesterday.
The mayor is a registered Independent and didn’t endorse a candidate in the 2008 election. And since the election is only days away, his endorsement was something of a surprise.
He says his concern about climate change influenced him to endorse Obama. He published his opinion on his website.
Part of his statement reads:
Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be — given this week’s devastation — should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action.
Here in New York, our comprehensive sustainability plan — PlaNYC — has helped allow us to cut our carbon footprint by 16 percent in just five years, which is the equivalent of eliminating the carbon footprint of a city twice the size of Seattle…….But we can’t do it alone. We need leadership from the White House — and over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption, including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year.
Read more at the Huffington Post.