That, at least, is the conclusion of the local chapter of the Sierra Club, which granted Raleigh its Cool Cities designation for efforts to fight global warming.

Among the city's "green" initiatives are using low-energy light bulbs in buildings to cut electricity use, adding more alternative-fuel vehicles to reduce gasoline consumption and expanding the city's recycling program.

Most recently, Raleigh's City Council endorsed the U.S. mayors' climate protection agreement, which sets a five-year goal of slashing carbon-dioxide emissions.

"Raleigh has the potential with some of the initiatives it has undertaken and some it's developing to become the most green community in the Southeast," said Tom Jensen, who oversees the Cool Cities program for the N.C. Sierra Club, on Wednesday.

The Cool Cities program recognizes local governments that commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels within five years. Raleigh is the largest of 23 cities in North Carolina and one of six in the Triangle recognized by the Sierra Club, an environmental group.

In a short ceremony in Nash Square across from City Hall, Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said that trying to significantly reduce carbon-dioxide emissions is a major change in the way the city does business. Meeker said the city would need to cut carbon emissions by roughly 30 percent because of significant growth during the 1990s.

"This is really the start of the process," Meeker said. "We're going to save energy and save money at the same time."

This year, an international panel of scientists said that evidence of global warming is unequivocal and that it is very likely caused by human activity. Burning oil and coal contribute to the buildup of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. There is scientific debate about the pace and extent of the temperature increase.

Meeker said the city will have to factor energy efficiency into decisions about constructing buildings, buying new vehicles and designing a parking deck.

For example, he said, a new 1,000-space underground parking deck the city is building under Fayetteville Street will use low-energy LED lighting, which initially costs more than traditional fixtures. The lighting will cost about $400,000, but the city will start saving on power bills and maintenance costs in three to four years.

"We found about 40 percent energy savings is a good measure, at least in parking deck lights," said Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen.

The city's participation in the U.S. Conference of Mayors climate protection agreement gained momentum in February, after resident Marvin Woll, a retired school counselor, petitioned the City Council to adopt it. Woll said Wednesday he was happy that council members responded. The idea had been discussed for several years but languished.

He said he had become increasingly concerned about how climate change will affect the Earth and the lives of young people in decades ahead.

"I don't worry about too many things, but I am worried about what the Earth is going to look like in 40 or 50 years," Woll said. "We're in global warming's backyard here, and unfortunately that backyard is all brown."

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