The ZeroCarbonCity campaign is based on cities being the biggest consumers of electricity and therefore the main generators of greenhouse gases that are warming the world towards what many see as looming Armageddon.

"Focusing activities on cities will generate fresh perspectives on the climate issue, building awareness of the challenges and of the potential solutions," Neil Kinnock, chairman of the British Council, said to launch the campaign.

"ZeroCarbonCity shifts the emphasis of attention towards mitigation, adaptation and practical measures that can be taken," he added.

EXHIBITION

It will involve an exhibition that will travel to all 100 cities highlighting successes and failures from cutting traffic congestion and vehicle emissions to insulating buildings, backed by online discussion forums and city meetings.

"It is multi-layered, covering all aspects of climate change from urban planning to personal lifestyles," a British Council spokeswoman said.

The British Council is Britain's international organisation for promoting education and cultural relations worldwide.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has accepted that US President George W. Bush will never sign up to Kyoto, has promised to put climate change at the top of the agenda for Britain's presidency of the G8 group of rich nations this year.

His environment secretary Margaret Beckett welcomed the ZeroCarbonCity campaign as adding fuel to that initiative.

Cities, as major concentrations of people, are a prime focus and have been identified as heat islands with temperatures several degrees higher than the surrounding countryside which in turn boosts energy usage from increased air conditioning use.

Scientists say using fossil fuels to generate electricity is the major driver of man-made global warming.