Carbon Footprint: New York

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Dept: The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require years of recovery and rebuilding work. And in the short term, our subway system remains partially shut down, and many city residents and businesses still have no power. In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced us to evacuate neighbourhoods something our city government had never done before. If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable, according to The Star. Here in New York, our comprehensive sustainability plan PlaNYC has helped allow us to cut our carbon footprint by 16 per cent in just five years, which is the equivalent of eliminating the carbon footprint of a city twice the size of Seattle. Through the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group a partnership among many of the world s largest cities local governments are taking action where national governments are not and the devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast in lost lives, lost homes and lost business brought the stakes of Tuesday s presidential election into sharp relief. Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be given this week s devastation should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.