NYS Climate Action Plan

In August 2009, Governor Paterson signed Executive Order No. 24 setting a goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in New York State by 80 percent below the levels emitted in 1990 by the year 2050. The Executive Order created the NY Climate Action Council (CAC) with a directive to prepare a draft Climate Action Plan by September 30, 2010. The Climate Action Plan will assess how State economic sectors can reduce GHG emissions and adapt to climate change.

The Climate Action Plan proposals will be developed by four Technical Work Groups (TWG’s) representing key sectors of the state’s economy, and an Integration Advisory Panel (IAP) to advise and assist the CAC in evaluating the best methods to achieve the GHG reduction goals and prepare for the impacts of climate change. However, neither the TWG’s nor the IAP included environmental justice representatives from New York City; as a result, the initial discussions were silent on disparate impacts. As a result of NYCEJA’s advocacy, the DEC agreed to add EJ representatives to the TWG’s and IAP. NYC-EJA also led efforts to include environmental justice provisions to the 2010 draft NYS Climate Action Plan.