The effort, organized by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, aims to follow the guidelines of what would have been a binding requirement for the United States had it not been rejected by President George Bush. More than 130 U.S. mayors, including Michael Bloomberg of New York City and James Hahn of Los Angeles, have signed on, representing more than 30 million people in 35 states, according to Nickels.

Participating communities will strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies and urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.

Arakawa, a Republican, said he was more than happy to endorse the U.S. mayors' agreement because Hawai'i is enduring increasing droughts, coastal erosion and other climate-related problems.

"In just our lifetimes, the weather has changed considerably," he said.

"The Islands are fairly isolated, and we have a limited supply of gas on the island. As prices go up, it makes sense to look at the alternatives," Arakawa said.

Arakawa said he's also pushing for mass transit and trying to reduce urban sprawl through planning and land-use policies.

Kim, a Republican, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Kaua'i Mayor Bryan Baptiste could not be reached about whether they plan to join the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Nickels, a Democrat, said he's hoping to win the endorsement of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June.

The Seattle mayor said on his Web site that climate disruption is an urgent threat to the environmental and economic health of communities. While many cities already have local policies and programs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he said more action is needed at the local, state and federal levels to meet the challenge.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol imposed requirements on industrialized nations to slash emissions of "greenhouse gases" to levels 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The treaty has been ratified by at least 140 nations, but the Bush administration refused, saying it could hurt the U.S. economy.

In addition to implementing actions on the local level, city leaders participating in the mayors' agreement will urge states and the federal government to enact policies to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol.