Low Carbon Communities of the Americas programme launched

US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the start of the Low Carbon Communities of the Americas after agreeing with other presidents on making an effort to reduce carbon emissions. This is part of the Obama administration's push to develop renewable energy technologies and encouraged other countries to do the same, as he told a climate change and energy event in Lima, Peru via videolink. Chu said the new community is designed to, "pursue energy efficiency as aggressively as possible for both economic and environmental reasons. Energy efficiency is the most cost effective way of combating climate change."