[[link removed]]Dear John,
This past Saturday was the first day since March when no one died from COVID-19 in New York City, a hopeful milestone, though of course also a grim reminder of how much has been lost (especially as cases rise around the country, and we know that we are likely to face future outbreaks).
These last few months have highlighted how unprepared we were for a crisis we did not see coming. And also that it’s only by taking action together that we might keep each other safe.
There is another crisis that we can all see coming, and still are not prepared for. The climate crisis, like the coronavirus, will both have profound consequences for all of us, and will also exacerbate the divides in our city, between those who can leave and those who cannot, those who can afford care and those who can't, those who have somewhere safe to go, and those who have to put themselves in harm’s way to continue living.
The tropical storm that swept the city over the weekend brought torrential rain, but far less flooding than forecasters warned. We may not be so lucky next time. The hurricane season this year is just beginning, and it's expected to be a bad one [[link removed]] .
New York City has set ambitious goals to reduce building emissions by 80% by 2050, and started to chart a path to get there, but we are a long ways off. In NYC, The Climate Mobilization Act, passed in 2019, established efficiency requirements for new construction and retrofits for city-owned buildings, major steps to tackling the 71% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city that are caused by buildings. But to meet emissions targets, we will also have to retrofit much of the existing private building stock in the city to increase efficiency and plan for resiliency.
So let’s channel some of our anxiety about suffering that feels beyond our control into tangible efforts to prevent future harm.
In that spirit, I’m co-sponsoring a webinar tomorrow evening with District 2030 [[link removed]] , a campaign to bring together public and private stakeholders to collaborate on sustainability and resilience planning to help our neighborhoods achieve the goals of reducing emissions in line with NYC’s 80x50 goals. We’ll be talking with Brooklyn SolarWorks about clean energy options for Brooklyn homes. Join us tomorrow to learn about how you can be part of this work and get a free energy audit of your home [[link removed]] .
Just before the coronavirus lockdown began, I invited Brooklyn SolarWorks over to my house to explore the logistics and costs of installing solar panels on my home. I learned a lot about the challenges of navigating fire codes and city, state and federal tax incentives to help cover the costs of installation. The number one takeaway? That there are programs in place to make investing in solar cost effective for individual families. And that better still would be breaking down some of the barriers to making the switch to solar as a community at scale.
The COVID crisis can be a warning to us, as individuals and as a city, to prepare better and fight harder to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis. I’ll be using the webinar both to think about next steps -- in our homes, and in public policy.
I’m happy to say that isn’t all just bad news. Just in the last week, we’ve seen big victories for the movement to end our reliance on fossil fuels. After years of creative and inspiring organizing, new pipelines are beginning to look like a very bad investment. Last Sunday, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy scrapped plans for an Atlantic coast pipeline. On Monday, a federal court ruled in favor of the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, who have been leading the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Supreme Court let stand a ruling putting the Keystone XL pipeline on hold at least until after the November elections, throwing its future into serious doubt.
These victories, as climate campaigner Bill McKibben, wrote in the New Yorker [[link removed]] , will reverberate, as it becomes clearer and clearer that “only the truly reckless will henceforth invest their money in giant fossil-fuel-infrastructure projects.” The tide may be turning, thanks to the collective action of millions of people who see the looming crisis with clear eyes. If you want to join the “Stop the Money Pipeline” campaign, you can learn more about how big banks fuel the climate crisis, and how we can organize to change that, in a two-part webinar [[link removed]] that starts tomorrow.
As we continue the work of helping NYC recover from the coronavirus crisis, renewing our city in ways that make us more prepared and more resilient to better face future crises and and must be top of the agenda.
Brad
In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Events
City and State Updates
*
Latest
virus
data:
Saturday
7/11
was
the
first
day
since
March
with
zero
deaths
in
New
York,
a
grim
yet
optimistic
milestone.
As
of
today,
there
have
been
216,199
cases
in
NYC.
More
than
55,486
people
have
been
hospitalized.
We
have
lost
18,708
people
from
the
virus,
and
another
4,615
are
presumed
to
have
died
from
the
virus
since
the
pandemic
began.
*
Libraries
partially
opening:
Libraries
around
NYC
are
reopening
for
curbside
pick
up
this
week.
You
can
reserve
books
and
other
materials
online,
and
swing
by
to
borrow
them
at
22
branches
around
the
city.
Here’s
the
list
of
branches
[[link removed]]
and
hours.
*
Childcare
reopening:
Child
care
centers
that
have
been
closed
since
march
are
allowed
to
begin
reopening
starting
today,
following
strict
guidelines
for
small
class
sizes,
frequent
cleaning
and
testing.
*
Tax
Day:
The
extended
deadline
to
file
taxes
is
coming
up
on
Wednesday
July
15.
*
Volunteer
in
Prospect
Park:
Budget
cuts
have
left
fewer
staff
available
to
keep
Prospect
Park
looking
its
best.
I
joined
the
Prospect
Park
Alliance
over
the
weekend
to
pick
up
trash
to
give
back
just
a
tiny
bit
for
what
the
park
has
meant
to
me
during
the
pandemic.
You
can
sign
up
to
volunteer
here
[[link removed]]
,
either
for
a
shift
picking
up
trash
with
a
“green
&
go
kit”
from
the
Alliance,
or
as
a
“weekend
greeter”
to
help
encourage
people
to
comply
with
social
distancing.
Or,
of
course,
you
can
do
your
part
by
carrying
out
your
own
trash.
*
Tenant
Helpline:
NYC
has
a
hotline
(call
311
and
ask
for
the
tenant
helpline)
to
help
residential
tenants
who
have
questions
about
their
rights
and
changes
to
the
State’s
eviction
moratorium
or
who
may
be
experiencing
harassment
(i.e.
lack
of
repairs,
illegal
lockouts,
or
rent
overcharges).
*
Health
Insurance:
The
New
York
State
of
Health
[[link removed]]
Special
Enrollment
Period
for
uninsured
New
Yorkers
has
been
extended
through
July
15,
2020.
If
you
lost
your
job
or
lost
your
health
insurance,
enroll
now
for
coverage.
*
Repurposing
bags:
We
are
still
collecting
Fresh
Direct
and
other
reusable
bags
for
use
by
emergency
food
providers.
You
can
drop
bags
off
at
the
following
sites
and
times.
*
Park
Slope:
256
13th
St,
M-F,
9
AM
to
6
PM
*
Carroll
Gardens:
71
3rd
Pl,
M-F,
8
AM
to
6
PM
*
Cobble
Hill:
359
Henry
St,
Mon-Wed,
9
AM
to
6
PM
*
Kensington:
3
Avenue
C,
Saturdays
at
4
PM
Upcoming Events
Thursday, July 23 at 7 PM. Parent Townhall with DOE Officials. Register here [[link removed]] .
Join me for a townhall with DOE officials to talk about the plans for back-to-school in the fall and other issues. We will have Deputy Chancellor Adrienne Austin, Executive Superintendent Karen Watts and District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop to answer questions from parents about the scheduling logistics, child care needs, support for social and emotional well-being, and more. I'm pushing hard for the DOE to make plans for the fall that will work for working families. You can read my draft plan and add your ideas here. [[link removed]]
456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]
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