US: Bloomberg - Why Sandy forced cities to take lead on climate change

"Last fall, Hurricane Sandy made all too clear how vitally important it is to build stronger and more sustainable infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events. That's why in June, we launched a long-term plan specifically focused on protecting our city from the effects of climate change," writes ichael R. Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City in his opinion piece published on the pages of CNN. Enhancing flood prevention systems, strengthening critical infrastructure in cooperation with private partners as well as raising construction standards are part of the city's climate change adaptation strategy.

Editor's note: Michael R. Bloomberg is the Mayor of New York City and is the Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network of the world's largest and innovative cities taking climate actions on a local level. "The City" is a CNN special theme week series