Columbia’s mayor will be heading to Dubai later this week as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation to an annual global climate conference.
The city says that the U.S. Conference of Mayors is covering Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe’s travel expenses to attend COP 28, which begins Thursday and runs through December 8. Mayor Buffaloe has been invited to speak at numerous conference events. Buffaloe says heat kills more people in a year than all other weather phenomena. She says she’ll talk about Columbia’s efforts to measure the impacts of extreme heat in Columbia’s neighborhoods and the plans for addressing its impacts on the most vulnerable.
Mayor Buffaloe serves as the U.S. Conference of Mayors environment committee chair. She is one of at least six mayors that will be attending the conference. Others include Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The COP 28 conference is attended by world leaders and is hosted by the United Nations (UN). Mayor Buffaloe says she plans to “showcase Columbia’s leadership in climate action.” The city of Columbia approved a climate action and adaptation plan in 2019. Mayor Buffaloe says she plans to reaffirm that commitment for Columbia at the global conference.
The city notes Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood handles the city’s day-to-day operations.
