Buildings

Urban Biodiversity: A Transatlantic Dialogue on the Role of Cities in Promoting Global Biodiversity Goals

Though seemingly at odds with one another, a wide variety of living organisms and habitats exist in and around dense urban areas. With more than half of the world’s population now living in cities, and the urban footprint steadily growing, policymakers must think about how to protect the biodiversity that remains within urban areas and …

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Beyond Gas Bans: Expanding Local Strategies for Building Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency

At the federal level, opportunities and incentives to decarbonize buildings expanded in 2022 due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.  However, many municipalities have seen their powers to steer building decarbonization curtailed in recent years. Notably, between 2020 and 2021, 20 states passed laws that limited local governments’ authority to regulate the installation …

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Impact Fees: A New Direction for NYC?

Impact fees are one-time charges imposed on new development as a condition of approval to offset the development’s impact on local infrastructure, services, and the environment. A revenue-raising tool, they are broadly based on the idea that new development should be responsible for paying for a share of the new or additional public infrastructure and …

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Counting What We Consume: How Cities Can More Accurately Count Their Contributions to Climate Change

When U.S. cities estimate the greenhouse gas emissions for which they are responsible, cities tend to focus on the emissions that come from activities within their borders and from generating electricity to meet local needs. This approach undercounts cities’ contributions to climate change because it leaves out the GHG emissions that come from the production of …

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Comment: Climate Action Council Draft Scoping Plan

On February 3, the Guarini Center submitted comments to the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority regarding the New York State Climate Action Council Draft Scoping Plan. In the comments, the staff applauds the State’s ambitious commitments to decarbonizing its buildings and recommends measures to help ensure that the State’s goals are met. …

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Press Release: NYU Study Finds Adding Carbon Trading to Landmark Climate Law Could Amplify Benefits and Promote Environmental Justice; Cost of Compliance with the Law Also Predicted to be Lower than Commonly Reported

Today, NYU researchers released the first study to rigorously assess the predicted impacts of Local Law 97 of 2019 (LL97), the City of New York’s signature climate law. The law caps the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that large buildings can release, starting in 2024. NYU and a team of researchers it assembled conducted the …

Press Release: NYU Study Finds Adding Carbon Trading to Landmark Climate Law Could Amplify Benefits and Promote Environmental Justice; Cost of Compliance with the Law Also Predicted to be Lower than Commonly Reported Read More »

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