CM Constantinides, the author (photo: William Alatriste)
There is probably no greater threat to our global civilization than climate change. In order to combat its effects, we must implement sustainable, environmentally responsible policies.
Our city has already made many important strides in becoming greener and more sustainable, including several over the past year and a half. There is still much work to do in the days and years ahead, and the City Council is committed to taking on the challenges we face. I am honored to have been recently appointed as Chair of the Council's Environmental Protection Committee, where I plan to continue making the city more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable.
Last year, the City Council unanimously passed my legislation to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, becoming the largest city to codify this goal into law. The legislation, now Local Law 66, was an integral part of the Council's policy platform to strengthen this city's commitment to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future. By reducing our carbon emissions, we are taking the necessary and bold steps to improve our resiliency, encourage public and private sector innovation, improve our air quality, and impact public health.
To help us attain this bold sustainability goal, I have introduced additional legislation to encourage more use of solar, geothermal energy, and biofuels. These bills include INT. 609, which would create a regulatory framework for installing geothermal heat exchange systems; INT. 642, which would reduce emissions by 211,500 metric tons of carbon per year, the equivalent of taking 45,000 cars permanently off the road; and others soon to be introduced that will expand our city's wind and solar capacity.
However, we must push even further in reducing our carbon emissions and combating climate change.
To me, environmental protection means enacting policies that not only make us sustainable, but ensure environmental justice so that all communities will be respected and protected from the threats of climate change. Three-quarters of our city's carbon emissions come from buildings; additional emissions come from solid waste, transportation, and power generation. City government alone produces 3.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent would require a reduction of 43 million metric tons per year.
To reach this goal, we will implement policies that raise awareness of climate change and lower reliance on fossil fuels. We will partner with the Department of Environmental Protection and Mayor's Office of Sustainability to implement Mayor de Blasio's OneNYC plan, which aims to make New York more environmentally responsible, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to do much important and necessary work equitably.
Our city faces unprecedented challenges that require bold, innovative solutions. New York leads the way on housing, public health, and transportation policies, so we must continue to lead the way on long-term sustainability and resiliency. The stakes are high for our city and our planet, and continued bold policy relating to our environment will lead us to a stronger, sustainable NYC.
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Council Member Costa Constantinides represents the New York City Council's 22nd District, which includes his native Astoria along with parts of Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. He serves as the chair the City Council's Environmental Protection Committee and sits on six additional standing committees: Civil Service & Labor, Contracts, Cultural Affairs, Oversight & Investigations, Sanitation, and Transportation. For more information, visit council.nyc.gov/costa.
