Flooding Deaths Push Council to Demand Climate Change Plan for New York
The New York Times
Under a bill passed by the City Council, the mayor is required to create a plan to deal with the wide-ranging threats of climate change, from flooding to extreme heat.
After Hurricane Sandy battered New York nearly a decade ago, city leaders made bold promises that they would remake the city to survive higher temperatures and rising seas.
On Thursday, the City Council, pushed into action by the devastation of Hurricane Ida, moved to step up pressure on city government to honor those promises, approving legislation that requires City Hall to make a comprehensive plan to protect every city neighborhood from the threats of climate change.
Under the bill, the mayor must create the plan to deal with wide-ranging dangers — rising seas, extreme heat and floods from hurricanes and downpours — and a list of solutions that ensures that all agencies work together on the problem.