New York City's just-passed Climate Mobilization Act rolls up six climate-mitigation laws that comprehensively remake the city's approach to climate change (it's colloquially known as the Green New York Deal).
70% of the city's carbon footprint is generated by heating and cooling for buildings, and a third of that comes from 50,000 of the city's biggest skyscrapers (Trump Tower is an egregious offender); the bill requires these buildings' owners to cut emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 (rent-controlled buildings, hospitals, places of worship and similar buildings are exempted).
Also in the bill: electrification of the city's school buses, and switching out gas power plants for wind turbines.
So what finally got the job done? Thanks to scientific and governmental reports banging the drum, and superstorms putting New York temporarily underwater, more and more people understand that climate change is an existential threat—especially in coastal cities.
New York's Aggressive Climate Law Takes Aim at Skyscrapers [Adam Rogers/Wired]
(Image: New York 2140)
