Mayor's Office of Energy & Sustainability

The Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 470 U.S. mayors working to combat #climatechange through meaningful actions in our communities, applauds President Joe Biden’s decision to bring the U.S. back into the #ParisAgreement. Read our full statement: https://bit.ly/39LJHAX

Congratulations to the Port of Albany!

"Global average temperatures last year were tied for the hottest on record, capping what was also the planet's hottest decade ever recorded, according to new data analysis released Friday... ...Global warming has brought the planet ever closer to the 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold, which scientists have warned will increase the risk for more extreme wildfires, droughts, floods and food shortages potentially impacting hundreds of millions of people. However, it was abundantly clear in 2020 that the world is already seeing worsening disasters from climate change."

Too Cold? Too Hot? Make your home more comfortable, reduce your energy bills, save money and our climate. Here's how: Find out about NYS subsidized energy efficiency and electric heating/cooling options with the Sustainability Advisory Committee. We'll be hearing from Kathleen Langton, Energy Program Manager at the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP), about the NYSERDA energy efficiency and electrification incentive programs available to New Yorkers. Subsidies range from... free to half-price depending on income, and there are low interest loans. Plus there are rebates available from the utilities for everyone! Find out what you qualify for by enrolling through the Heat Smart Capital Region website here: https://heatsmartcapitalregion.com/enroll. Presentation will be followed by a discussion of several other items related to energy efficiency that the Sustainability Advisory Committee is working on. Join us! WHAT: 30 minute presentation on home energy efficiency and electric heating incentive programs from NYSERDA by Kathleen Langton (AHP) WHEN: Thursday January 7th at 6 pm WHERE: Watch on Facebook Live at the Sustainable Albany FB Page here: https://www.facebook.com/sustainable518 WILL I QUALIFY? All energy audits for homes are FREE. Subsidies for energy efficiency upgrades to your home are based on income, with NYSERDA having recently increased the amount of income that can be earned for the 50% subsidy. Plus there's a special pilot that was just announced to provide free or nearly free electric heat pumps to 500 low and moderate income households who currently heat with oil, propane or wood (first-come, first-served). Get more information about these incentive programs and subsidies here on the HeatSmart Capital Region website.

"At this point, there’s simply no possible future that averts dislocation. The horrific fires this fall in California and Oregon, which were, in a manner of speaking, stoked by climate change, serve as a preview of the world to come. As Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A. & M. University, recently put it, If you don’t like all of the climate disasters happening in 2020, I have some bad news for you about the rest of your life.

"...As climate change accelerates, the trees in the Eastern forests of the United States are increasingly vulnerable. For many arborists, the challenges facing trees are reshaping and expanding the nature of their work. Many said they are spending more time on tree removal than ever before taking down dead or unhealthy trees, or trees damaged or felled by storms..."

This Thursday is the bi-monthly meeting of the City's Sustainability Advisory Committee. Tune in to this page to watch the meeting live! And send us a message if you're interested in helping out, we can always use new volunteers!

"The City of Albany's urban forest faces unprecedented challenges from both invasive insect and tree species, as well as climate change. Those factors have resulted in a decline in Albany's urban forest cover, especially in neighborhoods such as the South End, West Hill, and Pine Hills. The City of Albany estimates that more than 1,000 street trees have been lost to various factors since 2008. This program will help replace lost trees while enhancing and preserving Albany's urban forest for years to come by planting thousands of new trees across the City - especially in the neighborhoods where the urban forest is most at risk."

"Six young activists launched a European human rights case against 33 countries in the latest legal effort to force governments to step up their fight against climate change. The group filed a claim Thursday asking the European Court of Human Rights to hold the countries accountable for their allegedly inadequate efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions."

"The fast-moving fires, which are seen by many scientists as a sign of climate change, have killed five people, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and forced thousands to flee. More than 238,000 people either evacuated or were ready to go as more thunderstorms threatened to light new fires yesterday afternoon, according to officials...Altogether, the fires have burned an area the size of Rhode Island."

"Rising seas, storm surges and coastal flooding are displacing communities from Alaska to Louisiana to Maryland. It's time for Congress to get serious about helping them find higher ground, federal auditors say in a blunt assessment of the government's scattershot approach to what could become the largest U.S. migration since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s."

"The draconian coronavirus lockdowns across the world have led to sharp drops in carbon emissions, but this will have negligible impact on the climate crisis, with global heating cut by just 0.01C by 2030, a study has found. But the analysis also shows that putting the huge sums of post-Covid-19 government funding into a green recovery and shunning fossil fuels will give the world a good chance of keeping the rise in global temperatures below 1.5C. The scientists said we are now at a make or break moment in keeping under the limit as compared with pre-industrial levels agreed by the world’s governments to avoid the worst effects of global heating."