Microsoft and Bill Clinton Team-Up to Fight Pollution

The Clinton Foundation and Microsoft have teamed up in developing software that will help large cities create, track and share strategies to reduce carbon emissions.

Former President Clinton is set to speak in front of the C40 climate summit this week for the mayors of the world's largest cities to discuss his plans for new software and Web applications that are parts of a program being developed for tracking carbon emissions.

This software tool is designed to create a standardized way for cities all around the world to track their greenhouse gas emissions. By using this software, cities will be able to tell how effective, or ineffective, their carbon reduction programs are working.

The C40 summit of leaders from the world's major cities, which first met in London in 2005, was started with the aim of helping cities share ideas and band together to force down the price of technology to combat global warming.

It is estimated that urban cities use 75 percent of the world's energy, and these cities also produce 80 percent of the carbon emissions that lead to greenhouse gas pollution.

Bruce Lindsey, chief executive of the Clinton Foundation, said this software tool will be a key resource in the Clinton Foundation's work with cities worldwide in the fight against global warming.

As the world's largest software developer, Microsoft said they will provide this software, and associated services, for free. Microsoft also hopes to have this software in place by the end of this year.

The technical details still need to be worked out, but it appears most of these tools are going to be web-based and accessed through the Internet. This software should allow cities around the world to share data and policies that are working in reducing carbon based emissions.

Based on a formula developed by environmental groups, a city using the software would add up various factors like commercial space, residential buildings and transportation usage to gauge how much carbon dioxide a city produces.

Read more about this team at Yahoo News