The article discusses New York's proactive climate initiatives in response to federal climate policy setbacks under Donald Trump. Despite his administration's withdrawal from the Paris Accords, New York has pushed forward with significant legislation like the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and Local Law 97 to cut emissions. Recently, the state has also introduced a congestion pricing system and a climate superfund. Additionally, it highlights the opportunity to address environmental injustices related to peaker plants located in disadvantaged neighborhoods, calling for a transformation of these spaces into biodiverse areas.
This infrastructure is a relic of past planning mistakes: nearly every neighborhood housing these plants is classified as 'disadvantaged,' bearing the disproportionate brunt of environmental harm.
In 2019, Albany approved the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, requiring the state to cut emissions 40 percent by 2030. City Hall passed Local Law 97.
New York advanced the nation's first-ever 'congestion pricing' system to fund public transit and became the second state to fine polluters through a new 'climate superfund.'
There's one right in our backyard—or rather, along our waterfronts—that could provide us with a generational opportunity to build thriving, biodiverse places for years to come.
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