New York Passes Ambitious Climate Bill, Aiming to Meet Paris Targets

The new legislation, if signed by the governor, would mean upgrading industries, buildings and homes in a state with widespread use of heating oil, shifting vehicles to electric, and modernizing the power grid to get 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040. Credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images New York lawmakers approved one of the most aggressive climate policies in the world early Thursday, requiring net zero emissions for all sectors of the state’s economy by mid-century. The Climate Leadership and Communities Protection Act requires New York to get all of its electricity from carbon-free energy sources by 2040 and then reach net zero emissions by 2050. The final version of the bill, if signed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as expected, would make the state one of the few major jurisdictions globally with legally binding emissions reduction targets that meet goals set by the Paris climate agreement . "It clearly puts New York among the frontrunners both in the United States and globally in terms of climate policy ambitions," said Jesse Jenkins, a researcher at Harvard University’s Center for the Environment. Our stories. Your inbox. Every weekend. The bill was a compromise negotiated as the legislative session was drawing to a […]

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