Latest Climate Changes

We expect 2021 to be a year in which the federal government takes decisive action to help New York State achieve its nation-leading climate goals.

More than 125 organizations including NYLCV joined together to hold a virtual lobby day in support of a range of environmental programs. Cutting environmental funding in 2021 would be pennywise and pound foolish, and we were glad to find on November 10th that so many of our state legislators agree.

The NYC Mayor’s Office recently released the long-awaited OneNYC 2020 Progress Report. While New York City’s social justice agenda is on the right track with the majority of its initiatives, there is still a long way to go to reach its environmental goals.

To add to the extraordinariness of 2020, this year also marks a historic and destructive Atlantic hurricane season. So far, 11 named storms have made landfall in the U.S. mainland, breaking the previous record of 9 storms set in 1916.

The New York City Council Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts held an oversight hearing to coincide with the eighth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. NYLCV testified that while the steps taken by the City have been critical for affected communities, New York needs to establish its own resiliency plan for future emergencies rather than rely on federal emergency funding.

The NYS Public Service Commission recently approved the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority’s expanded Clean Energy Standard (CES)

Climate activists recently showed us just exactly how soon we can expect impacts of climate change through their installation of the Climate Clock in Union Square - a clock broadcasting the exact amount of time we have to curb greenhouse gas emissions before we face a climate catastrophe.

Even though 2020 has been a difficult year, this Climate Week should be a time to imagine what New York can look like in a decade if we commit to rebuilding stronger and greener, with an ambitious vision for the future that centers around sustainability and fairness.