Climate Action Cannot Wait

Earth weekend is an important moment to reflect on how we can support the climate in this pivotal moment.

The latest AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 released by IPCC climate scientists tells us what we have long known to be true: that human activities have caused global warming, primarily through the emission of greenhouse gases. Immediate action is needed to prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis from rising sea levels and flooding to pervasive world-wide water scarcity. Flooding from Hurricane Ida last year demonstrated the climate crisis is here and presently impacting our communities.

The main goal should be to limit the global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius and transition to Net-zero emissions. But how do we do that in Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Richmond Hill?

Firstly, global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) must decline by 43 percent by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.

While transportation, transit, and streetlights also contribute to GHG, nearly three-quarters of all citywide emissions come only from our buildings. Reducing emissions from our buildings is, therefore, the most significant action our neighborhoods can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City. But how do we do that? By creating incentives for buildings to improve energy efficiency; and invest in cleaner on-site power generation or support market growth for renewables through procuring cleaner energy generated off-site. We should also raise awareness on the benefits of reducing energy consumption for building tenants and occupants, including switching to more efficient light bulbs, adjusting their thermostats, unplugging their chargers and electronics when not in use, and purchasing more energy-efficient appliances.

In 2019, New York City passed a landmark climate law, Local Law 97, which caps commercial and residential building emissions per square foot. The law covers 60% of New York City’s building area. The newly created Bureau of Sustainability within the Department of Buildings is charged with implementing this law by supporting building owners and operators with the financing and technical resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They do this by raising awareness of their obligations by publishing the rules governing the law’s implementation. In addition, we have to invest in deep retrofits and solarize our public buildings and schools with good union-jobs. The federal government by way of the Inflation Reduction Act has enacted the financing streams to undertake this transition.

Considering that transportation is also a contributor to GHG, it is central our City encourage the use of zero-emissions vehicles or electric vehicles by investing in charging infrastructure and identifying options to electrifying municipal fleets for public transportation.

Secondly, decreasing the City’s dependence on fossil fuels is vital to advancing our climate goals. We can do that by investing in renewable energy. At the City level, we should advocate for replacing the in-city gas-fired power plants with battery storage powered by renewable energy sources as, called for by Local Law 17, where an assessment is pending action. At the community level, we could subsidize community solar programs for low-income neighborhoods and create incentives for other neighborhoods to do the same.

Thirdly, our neighborhood waste goes to landfills, and its decomposition leads to methane and carbon dioxide emissions, negatively impacting the environment. It is central that we establish a system of sustainable waste management (collection, transportation, processing, and disposal of waste materials) that prevents as much waste as possible from going to the landfill. DSNY now provides curbside composting service for yard waste and food scraps to every resident in Queens, the largest program of its kind in the country. It’s time to expand towards a system of universal composting outside buildings and schools.

Finally, its time to have a District 29-wide Plan of Action to adapt our neighborhoods to climate change: In addition to the measures listed above, the Plan should be developed in consultation with community members and include both preventive and responsive measures such as, (a) an assessment of threats and expected impacts of climate change (such as pollution, flooding, and other territorial threats) for Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, and Richmond Hill; and revitalize our streets with green spaces for community use by expediting the Queensway project.

Protecting our green areas and Queen Parks, including Forest Park is also central. On this Earth Day, I participated in a community cleanup of Forest Park. Such community engagement is the best recipe for addressing climate change. We need to do this together.

We don’t get a second chance with our precious planet.