Building Toward a Goal of Reducing Emissions in New York City by 80 Percent

On the eve of the People’s Climate March in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an ambitious goal: the city, he said, would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

The pledge was hailed by climate experts, environmental advocates, labor leaders and even the chairman of the powerful Real Estate Board of New York.

Now comes the hard part:  getting there.

The plan builds on a goal set by the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to cut emissions 30 percent by 2030.  Because of work done since 2007, the city has already reduced its emissions by 19 percent.

Nearly three quarters of the city’s emissions come from powering, heating and cooling its one million buildings, and they are a primary focus.  The 19 percent reduction was achieved largely by identifying low-hanging fruit, namely, switching from coal and oil to natural gas for electricity generation.  Officials warn that future cuts will be much harder to realize.

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