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What is the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan?
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The U.S. has been facing the negative effects of climate change for some time now, and one state in particular is taking matters into their own hands – the state of New York with their New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan.
What is the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan, and how will it help the state of New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb the negative effects of climate change?
How many greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the state of New York?
Nearing a population of 20 million people, with just under half of the population residing in New York City – it’s clear that this infamous U.S. state could make a dent in curbing national greenhouse gas emissions and set an example for other states, similar to the way that California did late last year with their new climate legislation.
As of 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the transportation sector in the U.S. is responsible for over a quarter of nation-wide emissions – bearing up to 27% of the country’s produced emissions. However, it is still alarming how much the transportation sector in the state of New York accounts for the state’s emissions – a whopping 47%. In 2018 alone, New York State produced almost 176 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Many people forget that New York City, a city accessible by foot and subway, is only a representation of half of the lives in the state of New York – with many of those residing upstate having to default to the use of a car for their main method of transportation. Other major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the state of New York include electrical consumption, predominantly from air conditioning, refrigeration, and lighting – and the energy consumption from industrial activity, agriculture, and other various industries.
The good news is that the overall amount of emissions produced by the state of New York reached an all time high in the year 2000 – and has been on the decline since. However, the highest emitting sectors: transportation and energy consumption from private residencies – continue to rise despite the threat of climate change.
How is the state of New York currently affected by climate change?
The state of New York, just like the rest of the United States – has been affected by climate change. In fact, the most recent cold front that occurred over the holiday season left several travelers stranded on roads in upstate New York with no way of getting back to warm shelter. Some of these families were a mere mile away from their homes, but with the Arctic blast provoking severe wind conditions and heavy snow accumulating up to 40 inches in Buffalo, New York – making a run for it was impossible for these holiday travelers.
While the debate whether or not climate change is the root cause of this most recent snowstorm – other scientists have shared data that proves how New York is definitely a victim of climate change. For instance, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the temperature in the state of New York has been steadily increasing by 3°F every decade. Summers in Manhattan are already miserable enough – but climate change is making them unbearable to the extent they can cause physical harm and even worse: casualties.
The data is clear – New York needs to implement governmental incentives, similar to how California did, in order to get citizens on board with the changes necessary to combat climate change.
How would the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan help fight against climate change?
The New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, would act as an investment program to help provide the financial resources necessary to cultivate a more sustainable and affordable future for New Yorkers in 2023 and onwards. The Governor of New York has recruited the help of the Department of Environmental Conservation as well as the New York State Energy Research and Development in order to create the most economically viable program to ensure both the safety of consumers and effectively reduced emissions.
For instance, the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan would aim to curb emissions created from electricity usage in the homes of New Yorkers without leaving them vulnerable to taxes they cannot financially meet. With this new climate action plan, the state of New York can provide New Yorkers with economic safety in the midst of climate change while simultaneously working to reduce emissions and maintain the competitive edge of many New York based companies.
Governor Hochul is determined to make the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan a reality – as the program will make use of over $1 billion in proceeds to help New Yorkers stay on track in the midst of these new changes being made to combat climate change.
In short, the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan will help New Yorkers to cover skyrocketing utility bills and monthly subway passes whilst still implementing the new tactics necessary to transition to a cleaner and more sustainable future. This climate plan will kill two birds with one stone, similar to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, as it will help to incentivize New Yorkers to support the transition to a greener way of life – but still keeping their financial needs in mind.
How will the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan work?
If the proposed New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan is passed – it will immediately come into effect and establish a yearly cap on how much pollution will be allowed to be emitted in the state of New York. This cap will continue to be adjusted annually until the state meets their emission reduction goals currently scheduled for 2030. Under the jurisdiction of Governor Hochul's, the climate action plan will function on five main principles.
Affordability
One of the main goals of the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan is to ensure the financial security of New Yorkers. Therefore, Governor Hochul is determined to start a climate action rebate that will provide over $1 billion in proceeds to residents of New York. It is an equal priority to make an effort towards decarbonization and maintain the financial safety of New Yorkers – to prevent their utility bills or energy taxes from getting too high. In addition, the new climate action plan should aim to reduce monthly transportation costs, such as the NYC metro, and create new jobs for New Yorkers.
Climate Leadership
“ The new cap-and-invest climate action plan should also aim to encourage carbon pricing, which can ultimately lead to a greener economy and more financially stable world for everyone in the midst of climate change. ”
Create Jobs and Keep New York On Top
New York doesn’t want to lose its competitive edge, making the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan a perfect fit to kill two birds with one stone – reduce costs for New Yorkers and also fight against climate change. Therefore, one of the main goals of the climate action plan is to create new jobs that will allow for a good salary to ensure New Yorkers can pay their monthly bills – many of which are suffering from inflation due to climate change.
Help Developing Communities
The New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan is determined to ensure safety and security for front-line workers and struggling communities in the state of New York. Many communities across the country have been impacted from climate change, such as natural disasters that leave too costly and catastrophic of a mess that result in insufficient living conditions. This New York climate program is dedicated to providing those communities with the financial resources necessary to overcome the negative effects of climate change. Examples of seeking to rectify the poor conditions of these communities include allocating the cap-and-invest program towards reducing pollution from power plants, seeking to improve the surrounding air quality, and providing greener and accessible public transportation.
Fund for the Future
The main missions of the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan is to help the state of New York meet their climate goals. The new climate cap-and-invest program can help New York to achieve this in a multitude of ways: such as investing in research towards ways to implement renewable energy or funding for more New York businesses to use electric cars.
The new climate program in New York is also pushing for a greener future. For instance, it will require businesses with a large carbon footprint to justify their emitted greenhouse gasses by purchasing their allotted usage of fossil fuels. This will encourage more businesses in New York to mitigate the use of finite resources contributing to excessive emissions. In combination with the new funding for additional research to develop better energy efficiency and green transportation – the new climate program in New York is working towards larger, long-term goals.
How else is the state of New York fighting against climate change?
The New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan isn’t the only savior for New Yorkers to aid in the fight against climate change – New York has been making an effort in comparison to most states across the country to combat excessive emissions, despite the fact that it’s home to the city that never sleeps.
For instance, buildings in New York account for nearly a third of the state’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. From 2021, the Department of Environmental Conservation, also known as DEC, required all businesses in New York to report their annual greenhouse gas emissions in conjunction with the current climate act – which recognizes that the use extensive use of fossil fuels to operate and maintain buildings in New York as the highest source of greenhouse emissions in the state. Therefore, the state of New York has already been demanding businesses to report their carbon footprint – which is often the first step towards sustainability and transitioning to a greener society. In addition to this annual statewide GHG reporting, New York has also established programs like the Climate Smart Communities program, the Climate Smart Communities Grant funding, and the NYSERDA Clean Energy Program to help develop new ways to reduce the need to produce excessive carbon emissions.
New Yorker’s can aid in the fight against climate change, too. All of the climate plans currently in place are futile if New Yorkers don’t make use of them. For example, the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan has no need to reduce the cost of monthly energy bills or public transportation if New Yorkers aren’t willing to do their part in using those reduced monthly costs to their advantage. New Yorkers have to abide and support the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan, otherwise – the government will no longer have the incentive it needs to protect the planet and residents of New York.
What about Greenly?
If reading this article about the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
Greenly can help you make an environmental change for the better, starting with a carbon footprint assessment to know how much carbon emissions your company produces.
The New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan is just one of the many new regulations being passed for climate change in 2023. Having trouble keeping up with all of the new environmental legislation your company has to comply with? Check out our legislation tracker here.
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