The climate crisis is not a challenge of the far-off future or a problem in the distant Arctic. Climate change is here, in our own backyard, and it is costing us more every day.
This past year, there were 32 reported tornadoes in New York, a record, and multiple severe weather-related emergencies and disasters: floods, blizzards and extreme heat. The wildfires in the Hudson Valley this summer, including one in Kent that was so hot, Department of Public Works crews had to dig up the ground so that firefighters could extinguish burning roots, showed us climate change calamities taking place in other parts of the country are happening here, too.
On the afternoon of July 9, 2023, the pop-up thunderstorms that had been predicted for the Hudson Valley had morphed into a dangerous slow-moving deluge and a Flash Flood Emergency. More than eight inches of rain fell in just a few hours. In the 40th Senate District, which I represent, the storm washed out main roads, stranding motorists, flooded homes and closed down Metro-North’s Hudson train line.
One person was swept away in flood waters to her death. In Stony Point, there were white water rescues. Major roadways across the Hudson valley remained unpassable for days and even longer in some cases.
Two months later, the region was swamped again by flooding from another deluge supercharged by remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia.
The cost of climate change is accruing lives and dollars. Even those not directly impacted are paying higher premiums, with average US home insurance rates up nearly 34% from 2018 to 2024, outpacing inflation. Utility ratepayers for just one of the utilities in my District are on the hook for nearly $1 billion in climate damage-related expenses.
Any “affordability agenda” must address the costs of climate change. The cost of inaction on climate exceeds the cost of action by more than $115 billion, according to New York’s Climate Action Council Scoping Plan.
Yet at the national level, we are headed in the wrong direction. At a time when every community should be embracing renewable energy projects, President Trump has announced he will be repealing all the federal green energy tax credits enacted during the Biden administration while also expanding on- and offshore oil and natural gas leasing.
In New York State, we are fighting desperately to stay on track. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), enacted in 2019, is the strongest climate law in the country. The CLCPA targets 70 percent use of renewable energy statewide by 2030, a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2040 and net zero emissions by 2050.
Almost six years after the adoption of New York’s Climate Law, we are not on track to reach these targets. The continued delay by the state’s Executive branch of Cap-and-Invest, a market-based program to clean up our climate by putting a price on greenhouse pollution, puts us further behind. Even worse, this delay deprives New York State of the resources to fight back against climate change, harden our infrastructure and provide desperately needed utility relief for struggling New Yorkers.
Cap-and-Invest is an integral part of New York’s climate plan approved as part of the CLCPA. By charging emitters a fee based on the greenhouse gas they released into our air, Cap-and-Invest would generate billions in annual revenue. Not only would these funds support the deployment of new green technology to reduce emissions and investments in communities most impacted by climate change, but it would also mean more money in your pocket.
Using a portion of Cap-and-Invest revenue to provide payments to residents could fully offset increased fossil fuel costs for most households, especially those earning under $200,000 annually, according to new research. Critically, the research suggests that higher allowance prices for large emitters will lead to larger state revenues and thus higher household payments, benefiting low- and middle-income households whose increased costs would be more than covered by these boosted payments.
As more superstorms and wildfires batter our communities, placing our fight against the climate crisis “on pause” or rolling back our progress is irresponsible. And throwing up our hands because of the possibility of not making our goals by target dates or because of a hostile federal administration is just fine with the polluters. It also delays the creation of tens of thousands of good paying clean energy jobs.
A sustainable, climate-friendly New York is an affordable New York. We already know what doing nothing—for too long—is costing us.
Pete Harckham represents New York’s 40th Senate District, which includes parts of Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties. He is chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
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