Environment

Buildings remain the primary cause of greenhouse gas emissions in New York, according to the city’s first-ever comprehensive carbon emissions inventory.

 

The report lays the foundation of PLANYC, an ambitious sustainability plan for 2030, to be released by the end of the month.

 

According to the document, released today by the Mayor’s Office of Operations, 79 percent of the total emissions in the city are caused by the consumption of energy for things such as light, heat and air conditioning in buildings. That’s more than twice the national average of 34 percent.  

 

“We have to dramatically rethink the way we work with buildings,” said Dan Doctoroff, deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding during an event co-sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences.

 

Municipal buildings are responsible for 64 percent of the total city government emissions, followed by emissions from water supply and sewer systems, which account for 17 percent, according to the study.

 

Of this 64 percent of buildings emissions, the buildings that came under control of the Department of Education were responsible by far for the most emissions. Schools and related administrative buildings that serve more than 1 million school children, accounted for 35 percent of the total city buildings emissions.

 

From 1995 to 2005, carbon emissions in the city increased by a total of 8.5 percent. However, Mayor Michael Bloomberg explained that government emissions remained stable from 2001 to 2006, and are projected to remain stable for the next decade, despite a growth in electricity consumption.

 

“This stabilization clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures in avoiding carbon emissions, a lesson that supports similar actions across the private sector,” the report states.

 

Among the measures taken by the city government that have contributed to the stabilization are energy-reduction programs, street tree-planting programs, conversion of street lights to more efficient technologies, landfill methane recovery, use of alternative-fuel vehicles, and solid-waste recycling.

 

According to the study, those measures have prevented the emission of more than 446.000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

 

Measures yet to be implemented include the purchase of wind power by 2008 and the export of solid waste by marine barge and railroad instead of tractor trailer trucks.

           

In 2005, New York City’s total greenhouse gas emissions were 58.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This number is the equivalent of the total emissions of countries such as Ireland and Portugal. New York, the biggest city in the United States, represented 1 percent of the total carbon emissions of the country, according to Doctoroff.

 

The study is a milestone in the achievement of the city’s long-term environmental goals, which include reducing citywide carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

 

“If you can’t count it, you can’t improve it,” said Doctoroff.

 

However, some scientists who were invited to discuss the document in private with city officials said that some trends were not addressed in the study.

 

“New York City imports a large part of its electric consumption,” said Dr. Stephen Schwartz, chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy. “The study is not counting the emissions generated elsewhere for this consumption.”