In recent months, we’ve written about New York’s grand climate plans, which aim to achieve a net-zero economy in New York by 2050. At the time of writing, those ambitious plans still had to jump over several hurdles before they became official policy. Flash forward to today, and those plans are one vote away from becoming official law.
The bill would require New York to get 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and by 2050, the state would have to cut emissions by at least 85 percent below 1990 levels. To offset the remainder, the state would enact measures to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, like mass tree-planting and the restoration of wetlands. This a huge deal, especially since New York on its own is the 11th largest economy in the world, falling between those of Canada and South Korea.
