Buildings

Toward Tradeable Building Performance Standards

Long a mainstay of environmental policy, emissions trading programs have faced increasing criticism in recent years. Critics have assailed trading programs for failing to generate the scale of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions necessary to mitigate the climate crisis and have argued that trading exacerbates the burdens imposed on environmental justice communities. This essay offers …

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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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Carbon Trading for NYC’s Building Sector: Implementation Plan

Between January 2020 and June 2021, the Guarini Center led a team of researchers to study whether New York City should adopt a carbon trading program for its buildings pursuant to its landmark climate law, Local Law 97 of 2019. The study, which was the first rigorous assessment of Local Law 97, brought together researchers …

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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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Carbon Trading for Buildings? Insights from the German Emissions Trading Program

In the fall of 2019, Germany adopted novel climate legislation that calls for the establishment of a trading program for carbon emissions from the transportation and building sectors. The new law, which has already generated substantial controversy, will take effect in 2021. Pursuant to Local Law 97 of 2019, New York City is considering adopting an emissions …

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