Dear New Yorkers,  

Happy Earth Week!

The Comptroller’s office is tasked with taking the long-term view, holding government accountable to its goals and assessing risks to our city’s future. That’s why I’ve hired the first ever Chief Climate Officer for the Comptroller’s Office – because the climate crisis is one of the greatest risks facing NYC’s physical, social, and financial future. I’m excited to introduce you to Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung, who is joining our office to put all our accountability, oversight, and accounting tools to work to help NYC reduce emissions and build a more resilient future. And with that, I’ll leave the rest to Louise! 

~ Brad 
  
Hi neighbors! My name is Louise, and I am thrilled to be getting to work on the urgent task of holding NYC accountable to its climate goals. Today, I’m excited to announce the NYC Climate Dashboard, a new project from the Comptroller’s Office. The NYC Climate Dashboard tracks our city’s progress towards meeting our climate goals by assessing how effectively the city is reducing our carbon emissions, and how prepared our neighborhoods are for the impacts of climate change. Each section of the dashboard includes key climate indicators, along with data on city policies and programs designed to improve those outcomes. 
  What exactly can you learn from the dashboard? Let’s walk through a few takeaways: 

• Emissions: NYC has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 80% by 2050, but so far we have reduced emissions by just 25% since 2005.  This page of the tracker allows you to monitor progress on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions from the three main sources of emissions in NYC: buildings, transportation, and waste.  
• Energy: NYC has the dirtiest grid in the state. Much of our energy comes from power plants located in the city that largely rely on fossil fuels. To bring more renewable energy online, NYC has set an ambitious target to reach 1,000 MW of solar power by 2030. To meet that target, we will need to significantly ramp up solar installations to 78 MW a year for the next 8 years. Here you can track the status of the NYC area power sources and our progress on solar installation targets.
• Climate Finance: As one of the country’s largest institutional investors, the NYC Retirement System uses all of its tools to advance the transition to a green economy, including divesting from fossil fuel reserve owners, investing in climate solutions like renewable energy and resiliency infrastructure, and engaging with corporate actors to encourage more ambitious climate action across the economy. This page of the tracker shows our progress towards in completing divestment from fossil fuels, as well as our goal of investing $50 billion in climate solutions investments. 
• Resiliency: New York City is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. Heat waves, coastal storms, and heavy rains will only become more severe and frequent as global temperatures rise. These risks underscore the need to protect our most vulnerable neighbors from flooding and extreme heat by strengthening the social resilience of our communities and the physical resilience of our infrastructure. This page helps you learn about the city’s efforts to adapt to a changing climate and find resources to prepare for climate emergencies. 

Fighting the climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. We hope the NYC Climate Dashboard can be a tool for New Yorkers to join us in holding city government accountable to the urgent work needed for resilient, low-carbon, and sustainable city. This dashboard will continue to be updated into the future, and we welcome any and all feedback here.  

Humbly, 
Louise Yeung