FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York City’s PlaNYC Exemplifies the Power of Cities in the Fight

Contact: Kim Lundgren, ICLEI-USA: (617) 635-3853
Annie Strickler, ICLEI-USA: (510) 844-0699 x328

Statement of Michelle Wyman, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability Executive Director

This Sunday, Earth Day, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will unveil PlaNYC, the city’s detailed plan to become more sustainable by 2030 and to reduce global warming emissions by 30 percent. The key components focus on: energy efficiency, traffic reduction, mass transit, renewable energy investments, building code upgrades, land use planning, water and air quality improvements, and more walkable and bike-friendly streets.

The following is the statement of Michelle Wyman, Executive Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability - USA, an association of more than 250 cities, towns and counties working on local climate action:

“We applaud Mayor Bloomberg and New York City, a long-time ICLEI member and leader in local climate initiatives, for the hard work, courage and vision that are the foundation for PlaNYC.

“PlaNYC underscores the power of local governments, the imperative of local climate action and the simple fact that every city can provide critical leadership when it comes to global warming. When the largest city in the United States decides to take action on a scale of this magnitude, there are positive and exciting implications for every local government on the planet.

“PlaNYC builds on the tremendous progress the city has already made towards climate protection, once again earning the nickname the ‘Big Green Apple.’ New York City has demonstrated that we can turn the problem of global warming into profitable solutions that also make our communities cleaner, better places to live.

“Rather than just set lofty goals with no action mechanism for an Earth Day photo opportunity, Mayor Bloomberg and his team have taken their responsibility as local government leaders seriously. They have outlined significant near- and long-term goals and committed the city to emissions reductions and sustainability. The City is also taking the critical step of planning for how it will accommodate the additional 1 million residents expected to reside there by 2030. We commend the foresight inherent in such a plan.

“To be sure, PlaNYC is ambitious and illustrates that the task of addressing climate change will not always be easy or politically expedient. Yet New York City has refused to ignore the problem, delay crucial action or accept the status quo. This proactive and visionary approach should be an example for other local governments as well as state and federal leaders.”

New York City has been a member of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability since 2001. ICLEI has been actively engaged with the City’s climate protection and sustainability initiatives and helped prepare the carbon emissions inventory released last week. ICLEI-USA is also a supporting partner of the upcoming Large Cities Climate Summit taking place in New York May 14-17.

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