Adi Talwar
On the morning of April 16, 2024, Diana Ramirez, 16, joined other high school students in front of Citigroup’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan to protest the company's investments in the fossil fuel industry.
“My house gets flooded every single year,” 16-year old Diana Ramirez told City Limits, one of many New York City youth who took to the streets in the lead up to Earth Day to demand people in power stop funding fossil fuels. “The rising sea levels and flooding caused by climate change are affecting me heavily.”
Legislation introduced in the City Council Thursday would stop government agencies from buying water in plastic bottles smaller than one gallon. The ultimate goal is to use water coolers or water packaged with paper cartons and aluminum instead.
The government agency tasked with ensuring city owned buildings and vehicles don’t contribute to climate change is facing a $1 billion cut to its preliminary capital commitment plan. Of those, $775 million directly impacts environmental efforts.
City Limits’ reporters are excited to see the eclipse. Here’s a roundup of local viewing parties, where to get free glasses and how to access the state’s sun- and moon-themed playlist.
The bill includes a provision that has the power to curb the expansion of gas infrastructure in New York. “Why put new gas pipes in the ground for new construction, when we’ve already passed laws saying we should be moving away from using gas?” the bill’s sponsor Senator Liz Krueger told City Limits.
Mayor Adams announced this week that the Big Apple is getting 180 new electric school buses. But the city’s fleet still has over 10,000 buses running on polluting fossil fuels.
At a City Council hearing this week, the Department of Buildings said it has nearly doubled the number of staff members dedicated to implementing the city’s landmark law to lower building emissions.
Installing residential solar panels requires a hefty upfront investment. In 2023, it cost on average over $36,000 per property before incentives, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
As a bill that aims to drastically cut the use of plastic packaging gains momentum in Albany, the chemical industry has increased spending to stop it, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the effort.
The Dept. of Buildings has the power to offer a mediated resolution to landlords who don’t comply with the city’s building emissions law, bypassing fines if they promise to get back on track. But lawyers fear the provision leaves the door open for DOB to evoke it too freely, and question whether the agency has the staff capacity to monitor such deals.
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