From investments in the New York Climate Exchange and transportation infrastructure to expanding the Bluebelt program and repairing the Newtown Creek combined Sewer Overflow, the mayor’s preliminary budget takes some important steps to shore up resilience and prepare the city for the ever-increasing impacts of climate change. At the same time, more funding for “daylighting” will make streets safer, especially for bikes and pedestrians, which, combined with billions of dollars towards mass transit, will encourage more people to ditch their gas guzzling cars in favor of cleaner commutes. That’s the good news. The bad news is, this is a drop in the bucket compared to what we need to address the full scope of the climate crisis. And while we appreciate the funding allocated for NYC Parks, it falls short of what is needed to make NYC “a great place to raise a family,” as the mayor likes to say. As budget negotiations proceed, we urge the mayor to get the stuff done he promised, which means fully funding our parks and ensuring NYC is a leader in climate action. It’s time for Mayor Adams to put his money where his mouth is.
NYLCV is the only statewide environmental organization in New York that fights for clean water, clean air, renewable energy and open space through political action. We're non-partisan, pragmatic and effective.