In total, cities house more than half the world's population, and account for two-thirds of its energy consumption and over 60% of its greenhouse-gas emissions.
Whether the Clinton-Gore Administration will, in fact, agree to make cuts in energy consumption beyond those involved in bringing carbon-dioxide emissions down to 1990 levels by 2008-2012, either at Kyoto or in a further round of negotiations that now seem all but inevitable, remains to be seen.
Environmentally, Europe will become a "green" hero--because lower economic growth means a natural reduction in energy consumption and dreaded greenhouse gas emissions.