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. 

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. 

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, 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. 

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, 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 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 can and must be top of the agenda. 

Brad

In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Events

City and State Updates

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, July 14 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM: Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn Green Rowhouse Webinar with Brad Lander and Brooklyn SolarWorks. Register here.

Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn (HCSB) campaign is promoting green retrofits in Brooklyn to save energy, money and the planet! Join us to learn about how your home or building can qualify for a free energy audit and talk about how communities can take action together towards sustainability. 

Thursday, July 23 at 7 PM: Parent Townhall with DOE Officials. Register here.

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.

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