NEW YORK, NY June 21, 2006 —Mayor Bloomberg will be convening an international conference of large cities trying to reduce global warming. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein has more.

Because of their density and high use of mass transit, cities tend to be more environmentally efficient than suburbs or rural areas. Now the Bloomberg adminsitration is exploring ways to further reduce carbon emissions by setting up an "office of sustainability."

The move comes in advance of an international conference of large cities to be held in New York next Spring. The Mayor has already injected himself into the national debate on gun control. The city council is also looking at the issue of climate change, and will today hold hearings on the matter today.