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On Sunday, January 5, New York City took a monumental step toward a cleaner, greener, and more efficient future with the official start of congestion pricing. For the first time, drivers entering the heart of Manhattan—south of 60th Street—will pay a toll, with most vehicles charged $9 during peak hours. This historic change has been years in the making and marks a turning point in the city’s efforts to tackle gridlock, air pollution, and underfunded public transit.

The expansion of this successful program will divert some of the estimated 4 million tons of excess food produced in New York State annually, a number that accounts for approximately 17% of the state’s municipal solid waste stream. Instead of going to landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, it will be donated to New Yorkers who lack access to sufficient food.

The New York League of Conservation Voters applauds Gov. Kathy Hochul for reinstating congestion pricing. Following her announcement, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the state agency that will run the congestion pricing program, approved the revised plan by a 12-1 vote, and a few days later, the Federal Highway Administration and city and state transportation departments signed off so that it can begin in early January.

In 2024, despite setbacks in the November election, the fight for a cleaner, healthier future gained significant momentum across the

The New York City Council has adopted a modified version of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal, a critical step toward addressing the city’s housing crisis while incorporating sustainability and infrastructure improvements. The revised plan includes significant zoning reforms, new affordability measures, and a $5 billion investment in housing and infrastructure—a victory for advocates of balanced and equitable development. New York City is facing its worst housing shortage in decades. The City of Yes aims to address this crisis by updating outdated zoning laws to allow more housing across neighborhoods, projecting the creation of 80,000 new homes over 15 years. 

Under New York state’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), the state is obligated by law to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as it strives to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030, with several intermittent goals along the way.

By Peter Aronson Climate change is increasingly causing extreme weather around the globe, including more hurricanes and other storms, record-breaking