Climate Change – SEQRA/CEQR
The future of New York City will rely on urban planning that prioritizes sustainability. In announcing PlaNYC2030, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said “you can’t formulate a land-use plan… without thinking about global warming.”
Now, after several years of abundant urban development, projects in the city are moving forward with little analysis of how they affect climate change. To help address this deficiency, MAS is drafting guidelines that would require developers and governmental agencies to analyze and disclose their impacts on climate change, including a project’s greenhouse gas emissions and vulnerability to the effects of climate change. It is our hope that this analysis and disclosure will encourage better and more sustainable development.
Environmental impacts are usually disclosed in statements required under state and city Environmental Quality Review Acts (SEQRA and CEQR). With the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) currently working on the issue, MAS will send its protocol to DEC with the hope of influencing their work.
