Our Officials Declare Many “Green” Climate Commitments —

Now They Need to Keep Them!

Borough President Antonio Reynoso 

From BP Reynoso’s “Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn”

  • “Climate change is the most pressing threat to New York City’s future.” Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn Executive Summary (https://www.brooklynbp.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023 /10/Comprehensive-Plan-Executive-Summary.pdf) 

  • “It should be noted that all parks are not created equal. Many City parks are too small for active recreation or covered in blacktop or concrete, meaning access to open space does not imply availability of green space.” p101 

  • “In addition to beautifying the borough's neighborhoods, trees clean the air, shade buildings and streets, and help manage stormwater. Overall, 18% of Brooklyn is covered by tree canopy, the lowest coverage of the five boroughs.” p100 

  • “Require new construction projects to follow the City’s Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines.” p137 

(https://www.brooklynbp.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Comprehensive_Plan.pdf) 

His Earth Day 2024 Instagram post

“Happy Earth Day! Brooklyn has some beautiful parks, and they do more than offer a peaceful escape. Our green spaces help to: - Mitigate flooding - Clean up our air - Cool down our neighborhoods - When we take care of nature, nature takes care of us right back.” (Earth Day 2024 Instagram post) 

Council Member Crystal Hudson 

From CM Hudson’s District 35 Community Survey:

Question: What do you wish your neighborhood had more of?  Second answer (after affordable housing): “green spaces” 

Question: “What are your top three needs not currently being met?” Answer: “Safer/cleaner streets, lack of deeply affordable housing, access to green space.” (District 35 Community Survey (https://council.nyc.gov/crystal-hudson/wp-content/uploads/sites/ 117/2024/04/Development-Framework-for-District-35.pdf) 

“Far too often, New York City's current process of decision-making on land use and development occurs on an ad-hoc basis, lurching from project to project with little grounding in the long-term needs, perspectives, and visions of communities, the City and region.” (From the City Council Land Use Guidelines and Toolkit 

http://council.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Speaker-Land_Use_Guidelines_Report-1215 22.pdf (CM Hudson sits on the Committee of Land Use) 

“The City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process systematically considers the adverse environmental impacts that could result from a proposed discretionary land use action. The city’s guiding document, the CEQR Technical Manual, needs to be revised in the following ways:

From CM Hudson’s campaign materials (https://www.crystalforbk.com/blackagendanyc#fn-39) 

● Projects should study more comprehensive and varied alternatives; 

● City rules should be revised to balance individual project goals with wider environmental concerns; 

● City planning processes must adhere to the 2018 Charter revision mandating more community input” 

Council Member Shahana Hanif 

From CM Hanif’s constituent newsletters: 

● “throughout New York City, our communities need to strengthen our preparedness for climate change and increasingly intense weather events. As your Council Member, I am committed to fighting for environmental justice legislation and deeper investments in resilient infrastructure.”

● “100 New Trees For Our Neighborhoods - That’s right – we’re bringing 100 new trees to District 39 and you get to help us pick where they go! Starting today, we’re accepting community feedback for where 100 new trees should be planted across our community.” (FoMPP note: District 39 gets trees; District 35 gets paving in our green park.) 

● “As the Summer and hot weather approaches, did you know the City can offer assistance in the purchase of a cooling system?” 

Comptroller Brad Lander 

“Reduce urban heat island effect with more green spaces.” (“Overheated, Underserved,” August 2022 report from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/overheated-underserved/)

Mayor Eric Adams 

“the City has been working to protect these precious natural areas and resources, to preserve high-quality access to nature for New Yorkers.” 

(https://climate.cityofnewyork.us/subtopics/green-space/) 

● ‘“Big problems require big solutions, and few problems are as massive as climate change,’ said Mayor Adams.” 

● Assessing “projects in the city’s capital commitment plan for alignment with net-zero emissions and flood and extreme heat resiliency goals. The process also initiates a requirement that climate data be provided for capital projects and alongside all relevant agency funding requests.” 

https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/327-24/mayor-adams-celebrates-launch-new-york -city-s-first-climate-budgeting-process) 

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/omb/downloads/pdf/exec24-nyccb.pdf