City on the Edge: Climate Change and New York City
Planting Certain Trees Can Make NYC’s Polluted Air Worse, New Study Finds
Species like oaks and sweetgums emit a chemical called isoprene that is harmless to humans on its own. But when it interacts with pollutants generated from fossil fuel combustion, they create a toxic gas called ground-level ozone that can irritate the throat, inflame airways and increase the frequency of asthma attacks.
"What we plant, from an air quality perspective, is really only a problem because of the amount of fossil fuels that we burn in New York City," said Andrew Reinmann, an ecologist and CUNY professor who helped author the study which found the anomaly. The findings are especially worrisome when the Big Apple’s landscape is populated by a sizable portion of oaks and sweetgums.
National Grid is About to Raise Your Gas Bill to Cover $5 Billion in Infrastructure Projects
The rate increase, National Grid argues, is necessary for maintaining service as safe and reliable for customers. But environmentalists question adding gas hookups and revamping the system when New York is supposed to be phasing out polluting fossil fuels, as mandated by the state’s landmark climate law.
Opinion: Heat Behind Bars & The Urgent Case for Compassionate Release
“It has been 10 years since my release, and the memory of extreme heat without air conditioning haunts me, especially as the planet continues to warm each year. One of my greatest concerns now is for those still imprisoned.”
