Cities take the lead on climate change (AP)

Fir and pine chips are piled high outside the electricity-and-heating plant in Vaxjo, Sweden Aug. 20, 2007. Vaxjo, a city of 78,000, has become a pioneer in the fight against climate change, with a target to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2010,  70 percent by 2025, and the long-term goal of becoming completely free of fossil fuels in the following decades. (AP Photo/John McConnico)AP - When this quiet city in southern Sweden decided in 1996 to wean itself off fossil fuels, most people doubted the ambitious goal would have any impact beyond the town limits.