“Cities should be given seats at the table when international sustainability policies are mapped,” said Mayor Bloomberg, speaking at the United Nations on Thursday 12/15. “In every corner of the globe, cities are at the forefront of climate change action.” But too often, he said, “cities lack the power, resources, or the expertise to go along the alternative path, the path of sustainability.”

Bloomberg was giving the keynote speech at a Ford Foundation panel to announce “New Priorities” — including an increasing focus on the critical role of cities — in advance of the upcoming June, 2012 global sustainability conference in Rio.

Read more about Bloomberg’s speech, in Grist: “Mayors Hold Key to Climate Change Progress”