Schwarzenegger said California and other states are not waiting for the federal government before promoting legislation to reduce greenhouse emissions blamed for climate change.

“Washington is just a little dot on the map. You are making up America. So we don’t have to wait for Washington to get aboard,” Schwarzenegger told the 75th annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which made the environment one of its top agenda items. The governor cited his state’s own environmental initiatives and praised efforts such as a proposal by New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make all taxis in his city fuel-efficient hybrids by 2012.

The Bush Administration has opposed placing specific limits on greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. But Schwarzenegger has signed a law requiring that California reduce emissions by an estimated 25 percent by 2020.

“I don’t think we can waste anymore time. I think that global warming is real. It is a huge, huge problem,” Schwarzenegger said.

Schwarzenegger urged cities to push polluting industries to change their practices in order to compete globally.

California, with its stringent auto emission standards, “may be doing more to save U.S. automakers than anybody else because we are pushing them to change,” he said.

“We are growing a whole new economy based on innovation and clean technology that will spark billions and billions of dollars of new investments and create tens of thousands of new jobs,” Schwarzenegger said.

About 200 mayors from around the United States attended the meeting, which runs through Tuesday.

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