New Haven, Conn. ? Organizers hope a gathering of governors this week will be as effective in addressing climate change as a similar event that launched the conservation movement a century ago.

As many as 10 governors and leading experts on global warming plan to attend the conference Thursday and Friday at Yale University. Participants will review state programs to combat global climate change and develop a strategy for future action.

“I think we have high hope this will mark a significant turning point in a commitment to action on climate change,” said Dan Esty, a Yale environmental law professor and director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.

The conference is part of a series of initiatives designed to pressure officials to take action, Esty said. He cited former Vice President Al Gore’s new three-year, multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign calling for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, along with proposed federal laws, a partnership between business and environmental groups calling for curbs on emissions, and measures or commitments by 28 states and 600 mayors to address the issue.

Governors who plan to attend the conference include M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Christine Gregoire of Washington, and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Quebec Premier Jean Charest also will attend.