De Blasio targets greenhouse gases as city emissions tick up slightly

An annual report released on Earth Day showed a slight rise in New York City’s emissions, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced new initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions – from tailoring the energy code so it covers historic buildings to requiring larger buildings to upgrade their lighting system.

From 2013 to 2014, the amount of greenhouse gas in the city emitted grew 1.0 percent to 49.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to the report. Greenhouse gases are one of the most significant drivers of climate change and emissions from some sources – like cars, various heating oils and landfills – can contribute to poorer air quality.

The administration said an increase in the square-feet of buildings and in the use of heat due to colder winter weather contributed to the rise in emissions. And when taking a longer view, de Blasio’s team said greenhouse gas emissions are down significantly, declining 11.7 percent since 2005.

Meanwhile, the mayor unveiled Friday a handful of initiatives he said would help the city move toward the larger goal of curbing 2005-era emissions levels 80 percent by 2050. Many of the ideas de Blasio announced came out of a working group convened to examine ways to reduce building emissions. If all of his proposals are phased in over the next decade, the de Blasio administration estimated emissions would decrease by 2.7 million metric tons, which officials said is equal to pulling 560,000 cars off the road and enough to annually prevent 60 hospitalizations and 20 premature deaths.

De Blasio said he would require landlords to take cost-effective energy conservation measures, such as sealing roof vents in elevator shafts and instructing retail businesses to cover open freezers and refrigerators. Under the mayor’s plan, large and mid-size buildings would be mandated to improve their heat systems and assess more comprehensive retrofitting strategies in energy audits. De Blasio also intends to have buildings that are 250,000 square-feet or larger upgrade their lighting, to tailor energy standards so historic buildings are no longer exempt and to support efforts to revamp the energy code.

“The city has been leading the way by greening our own public facilities. Now, these new initiatives will dramatically reduce emissions from New York City’s over 1 million buildings, while saving New Yorkers millions and creating thousands of new jobs – and we’ll be providing owners support throughout the process,” de Blasio said in a statement. “We’ve set bold goals as we take on climate change and a clear path to meet them.”

Last year, de Blasio revamped the annual PlaNYC report tracking the city’s climate change and sustainability programs by renaming it One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City – OneNYC for short – and broadening its policy goals. The 2016 OneNYC update released Friday claimed that more than 95 percent of the 202 initiatives included in it are underway.

The de Blasio administration cited its long-term goals and new initiatives as signs of progress in OneNYC. The administration said the city has worked toward having the “best air quality of any large U.S. city by 2030” by enacting an air code update as well as plans to add 2,000 electric vehicles to the city’s fleet.

When it comes to the goal of eliminating waste sent to landfills by 2030, the administration said it has tripled curbside organic waste collection, launched a recycling program in 850 public housing buildings and expanded e-waste collection. Total waste collected, and not reused or recycled, fell by about 0.5 percent.

The full OneNYC update also did not always provide details on the city’s strategies. For instance, the administration said its efforts to increase the rates at which city agencies’ use of minority and women-owned businesses was “in progress” because it published compliance reports required by law and planned to continue doing so.