Throwback to the pre-school days when our teachers used to teach us valuable life lessons such as “Better late than sorry.” It seems that the city of New York is using this ideology in city planning as well. Whatever the reason behind evoking an idea might be, it is unimportant as long as it’s for a good cause. In this case, it is much more than a good cause, it is a cleaner and healthier future for one of the biggest cities in the world. The city authorities have finally come to a decision to take drastic measures in order to keep a check on its greenhouse gas emissions.
Nobody in this world is unaware of the immense popularity of New York unless they live in a cave. On a generic level, this city is quite popular and hence a hub for business activities as well. This is why since decades a majority of the industries have their head offices situated here. Owing to this, the greenhouse gas emissions from these buildings are also in abundance. Taking this into consideration, the Mayor of NYC Bill de Blasio announced a set of rules to bring down these emissions.
Rules to bring down the greenhouse gas emissions
According to the orders by the NYC Mayor, thousands of old buildings are under the government’s scrutiny to bring down their emissions. The rule is applicable to the owners of aging buildings that cover an area of more than 25,000 square feet. The City Council is yet to approve the list of buildings that have been jotted down for the same. This list includes around 14,500 private as well as municipal buildings. These buildings collectively add up to almost a quarter of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. If the owners of these buildings don’t tone it down by 2030, then they will have to face a penalty.
As soon as the list of buildings will be out, its owners will have to invest in a number of new facilities. This will include insulation, hot-water heaters, along with efficient cooling and heating systems. This step by the NYC Mayor is in order to bring the city on the national map when it comes to going green. It will also prove to be beneficial in the mitigation of the effects of climate change. The long-term goal of the city is to bring down greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by the year of 2050. This is not only the first but also a major step in doing so.
