Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D-N.Y.) is planning to spend over $200 million on a global warming initiative that will seek to reduce the carbon emissions of 25 major cities across the United States.
As reported by Axios, the funds will come from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization founded by Bloomberg. The effort will primarily focus on ways to alter the various cities’ methods of construction and public transportation in order to be more “climate friendly.”
The program, formally known as the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities (BASC), will provide the mayors with the funding and resources needed to gain access to expertise and further funding from the federal government, through such laws as the Inflation Reduction Act. Mayors will be able to consult with experts from various groups, including the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and PolicyLink.
This latest effort will bring the overall total amount of money spent by Bloomberg Philanthropies on global warming-related issues to at least $650 million. Michael Bloomberg himself currently serves as the Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions for the Secretary-General of the United Nations; Bloomberg is also the president of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Among the cities chosen for the new program are: Akron, Ohio; Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Montgomery, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri, among others.
“The innovation team will help us tackle real issues in the lives of Akronites,” said Akron mayor Shammas Malik in a statement. “Leveraging philanthropic funding to create and grow a truly sustainable and equitable Akron.”
The initiative also received praise from John Podesta, the longtime Democratic strategist and campaign operative, who said that “investments like these are exactly what’s needed to support mayors as they lead the charge toward a cleaner and more equitable future.”
In the past, Bloomberg has used his vast wealth for more destructive measures in the name of “global warming.” He worked with the Sierra Club to spend tens of millions of dollars on a campaign targeting multiple coal power plants and demanding they be shut down.