After rejection of Paris Accord, NY can pave way for the nation

Today (June 6), the Climate and Community Protection Act of 2017 (A8270) has officially been introduced in the New York State Assembly. The bill makes our state climate pollution reduction and clean energy commitments legally binding across all sectors including energy, buildings, and transportation, setting a path to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2050.
Climate change is a clear and present danger. 2016 was the warmest year on record and is trailing ahead of previous records set in 2014 and 2015.
Extreme weather is happening all around us. Environment New York researchers, who created the online map, Hitting Close to Home, found that since Sept. 2010, New York experienced 11 weather— disasters, including severe storms, tornadoes, floods, tropical storms, snow and ice storms, and droughts.
Our families’ health and the future of the world ecosystem are at stake.
Introduction of the Climate and Community Protection Act of 2017 in the New York State Assembly couldn’t come at a more important time. On the heels of the Paris Accord exit, now is the moment when New York needs to step into that leadership vacuum.
If national leadership chooses to ignore that reality, then states must step in to fill the leadership void to show the world that Americans will do our part to address the climate crisis.
We can do this. We already have the technology we need to shift our entire economy to 100 percent renewable energy and eliminate carbon pollution. We could power the nation ten times over with available wind resources and 100 times over with our nation’s solar potential alone.
By taking action, New York can pave the way forward for the rest of the nation and demonstrate that reducing pollution is good for our health, good for our communities and good for our economy.
To reap these economic benefits, though, New York’s climate and clean energy goals must be given the force of law. A law with clear standards and provisions to ensure that the environmental and economic benefits of clean energy will reach the most New Yorkers is exactly what’s needed.
We thank Assemblymember Steve Englebright for sponsoring the bill and look forward to working with the New York State Legislature.
Heather Leibowitz, Director
Environment New York