Rome is "proud" to be among the 16 cities chosen by ex-US president Bill Clinton to receive funds from his foundation to be used to make buildings more energy efficient, Mayor Walter Veltroni said on Thursday.
The former president, Veltroni explained, chose Rome "for the quality of its programs in favor of the environment and for alternative energy".
"Rome's policies for the environment are a model for other cities and the allocation of these funds is in recognition of our commitment," the mayor added.
Clinton announced on Wednesday that his private foundation would earmark $5 billion to help 16 cities become more energy efficient in order to help combat global warning.
Also involved in the program are four of the world's biggest energy service companies and five of the world's leading banks, including ABN Amro of the Netherlands, Switzerland's UBS and Deutsche Bank.
Clinton announced the names of the 16 cities at the end of an international climate summit in New York which was attended by the leaders of 40 of the world's biggest cities.
The other cities were: Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Delhi, Houston, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Toronto.
The Clinton Climate Initiative calls for the revamping or replacing of heating, lighting, electrical and air conditioning systems to make them more efficient in order to cut energy consumption by as much as 50%.
A report presented at the summit said that in New York buildings generated 79% of the city's total carbon output through the consumption of electricity, gas and fuel oil.
Speaking at the New York summit, Clinton observed that "businesses, banks, and cities partnering with my foundation are addressing the issue of global warming because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's good for their bottom line".
He added that "They're going to save money, make money, create jobs and have a tremendous collective impact on climate change all at once".
