The NYC Green Codes Task Force: The Executive Summary

City dwellers tend to think of the natural environment as something external to their lives, a fragile wilderness that needs to be protected through national efforts. But this way of thinking has begun to shift in recent decades. Climate change is now recognized as a universal threat, and dense cities have come to be understood as environmentally preferable to suburbs, despite seeming “unnatural.” In this context, green building has emerged as a solution to many environmental challenges.

This is perhaps truer in New York City than elsewhere in the United States. While most U.S. cities focus their environmental policies around transportation, New York is already blessed with an excellent public transportation system. Consequently, 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 85 percent of water use in New York are
attributed to buildings.*

In 2007, New York City released PlaNYC, a comprehensive environmental agenda to guide sustainable growth. The plan calls for reductions in energy use, water use and other environmental impacts,
culminating in a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This goal was later codified into law under the Climate Protection Act (Local Law 55). But because buildings have such a preponderant impact on the environment, the goals of PlaNYC will be
achievable only if the performance of the city’s buildings is improved substantially. [Read rest of report]