Bloomberg: ''The forest that can change Manhattan''
The Mayor of New York sends a message to the Climate Conference: "I have 127 green ideas for the world"
(La Stampa, December 06, 2009)Mayor Bloomberg, you are widely known in Europe for your policies to promote the environment in NYC. Why have you decided to start this challenge and which is your long-term "green vision" for NYC?
We face a number of challenges that have important environmental consequences. Our population will grow to over nine million by 2030. Much of our physical infrastructure is a century old and showing its age. And we face a threat with potentially severe implications: global climate change. The solution to all three challenges is sustainability. In 2007 we launched PlaNYC, 127 initiatives to create a greener and greater New York. We are taking action to improve the city’s air and water quality and clean up contaminated land. We are creating more affordable housing and providing better access to open space. We are increasing transit capacity, improving and maintaining the city transportation network, and upgrading the city’s energy infrastructure. Our goal is to achieve a 30% reduction in New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Which are the most relevant "green projects" that you started in NYC, or that you want to begin?
There are many critical green initiatives – it’s hard to pick just a few. We have planted nearly 300,000 trees, protected an additional 13,500 acres of our watershed, added 200 miles of bike lanes and installed over 2,000 new bike racks. We have launched or completed over 100 energy efficiency retrofits projects on City government buildings, converted 25% of the yellow taxi fleet to hybrid vehicles, and passed legislation to mandate the retirement age of school buses. One of our most important PlaNYC priorities is making our existing buildings more efficient, because 75% of our overall carbon emissions are related to energy consumed in buildings. Working with our City Council, we have developed a “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan,” a comprehensive package of legislation to ensure that existing buildings take cost-effective steps to become more efficient.
In Italy there is a lot of curiosity for the experiment of the turbines under the East River. How is it going?
We are making progress. The initial attempt to install turbines resulted in some turbines being damaged by strong currents. Now that the design has been re-engineered, we are seeing promising results.
What are the responsibilities that the citizens of the biggest towns of the Earth share to protect the climate?
We believe that cities and their citizens are at the forefront of the battle against climate change. On one hand, people in cities have some of the lowest carbon footprints because of our high population density and use of mass transit. On the other hand, we are the source of approximately 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And as the climate changes, densely populated urban areas, particularly coastal cities, will disproportionately feel the impacts. Those of us in local government recognize the importance of national and international leadership on climate change. But we have to act locally now.
President Obama believes that the green economy can help to restart the growth, both in US and in the world. Can this happen also for New York?
We believe that the green economy can play a vital role to create more jobs in New York. In October, I announced a comprehensive plan to grow our city’s green economy. The 30 initiatives that comprise the plan will support and attract green businesses and entrepreneurs and provide specialized training to prepare New Yorkers for green jobs. The initiatives will support the creation of 13,000 new jobs, doubling our City’s green sector workforce.
What do you expect from the UN conference in Copenhagen on climate, if you could speak to the world leaders that will gather there, what would you say to them?
I look forward to sharing our experience in New York City with the global leaders assembled to develop a meaningful framework for combating climate change. The Copenhagen gathering will include not just representatives of national governments, but also mayors from many of the world’s largest cities, regional government officials, CEOs, labor leaders, and activists representing a broad range of issues. We have a lot to share and a lot to learn from each other.