Planning a Sustainable New York City

Climate change has quickly become both a very important and controversial topic among scientists and the general public for many years now.  Regardless of whether people believe climate change is real or not, many cities around the world have taken steps to fight global warming and do their part in slowing climate change.  One of these cities is our very own New York City.

A quick statistic for you: in 2030, it is projected that 80% of the world’s population will be located in urban settings.  Therefore, it is important that the current global urban centers establish proper and effective methodologies and practices to reduce their contribution of greenhouse gases and help curb global warming.  Under Mayor Bloomberg, New York City has created a comprehensive plan titled PLANYC that details the various strategies New York City plans to take over the next 20 years to become more sustainable and reduce its greenhouse gas contribution.  These strategies form the basis of our project.

The website is broken down into different economic sectors: power sources, housing, transportation, water, and industry.  Within each section, we have illustrated the current situation in New York City with regards to that topic, and the steps New York City plans to take to become more sustainable in that field.  Current research and statistics are discussed as well.  The final section, the meta section, gives an overall summary of the other sections, and also compares New York City’s sustainability plans and efforts with those of two global cities, Mexico City and Tokyo.  This offers a more global perspective on the issue of climate change, as mitigation and adaptation initiatives are interdependent.  Policies and practices in one country have consequences for other nations.  As a result, global cooperation through interdependence will be crucial in order to win the fight against climate change.

PLANYC image source:  http://www.empirestatemagazine.com/m/i/articles/4/planyc/planyc.gif