Brooklyn councilmembers demand action on climate change plan

Rally held ahead of hearings on Resolution 169 that was co-sponsored by 37 council members

October 13, 2022 Daniel Cody

Cars drive on a flooded street caused by Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

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Climate activists and city councilmembers rallied at City Hall on Thursday ahead of a New York City Council Committee on Environmental Protection hearing on Resolution 169. The resolution calls upon the governor’s office to implement an omnibus ‘Climate Action Scoping Plan’ that gives teeth to the goals laid out in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

The council members said that because of environmental damage and destruction from recent storms, like Hurricane Ian in south Florida and Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, they demand that leaders meet the climate goals in the CLCPA. The CLCPA highlights that Superstorm Sandy’s devastating cost: 53 lives and $38 billion in damage, is a forewarning, “As we approach the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, heat waves, hurricanes and other weather events wreak havoc from Puerto Rico to Pakistan,” said Tim Kent, a Brooklyn-based volunteer leader with Food & Water Watch.

“The science is clear and the real-life impacts painfully evident: New York needs a plan to move off fossil fuels. Governor Hochul and the Legislature must set an example for the nation by banning fracked gas in new buildings.”

“The climate crisis is here, and its effects are already being deeply felt in New York and across the country,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler, who appeared at the rally with 37 of his legislative colleagues.

“I’m grateful to the advocates who have fought to ensure that we meet the goals laid out in the CLCPA, resist the fossil fuel industry and protect our communities.”

The CLCPA reinforces New York’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent through 2030 and achieve an 80 percent reduction by 2050. If the state can maintain 80 percent below 1990 levels of carbon output by 2050, it can stay within the two-degree warming target outlined by the UN and other agencies. The bill also includes labor protections for industries on the frontlines of ‘climate change related activities’ like construction and building service workers.

“New York City must be a global leader in fighting climate change,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.

“When the State passed the CLCPA, they set some of the most expansive greenhouse gas emission reduction goals in the country. Now is the time for equally bold action. I am proud to stand with the City Council, frontline climate justice organizations, and my fellow colleagues in government in support of a scoping plan that outlines the concrete steps needed to meet those goals in an equitable and environmentally just manner.”

Over 37 city council members co-sponsored the resolution: including Lincoln Restler, Shahana K. Hanif, Carmen N. De La Rosa, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Kevin C. Riley, James F. Gennaro, Crystal Hudson, Rita C. Joseph, Alexa Avilés, Gale A. Brewer, Farah N. Louis, Eric Dinowitz, Julie Won, Shekar Krishnan, Sandy Nurse, Lynn C. Schulman, Julie Menin, Nantasha M. Williams, Chi A. Ossé, Justin L. Brannan, Tiffany Cabán, Carlina Rivera , Keith Powers , Erik D. Bottcher, Christopher Marte, Kamillah Hanks, Shaun Abreu, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Marjorie Velázquez, Mercedes Narcisse, Amanda Farías, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Sandra Ung, Diana I. Ayala, Francisco P. Moya, Linda Lee and by request of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and in conjunction with the Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.