“We must build a future in which every New Yorker earns a living wage and enough income to cover the basic necessities of life, so we can tackle the climate emergency. does not mean financial ruin or impossible survival choices.”
Edward Reed/New York City Mayor’s Office
Then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg surveys damage to the beach on Oct. 30, 2012. CityViews represents the opinions of readers and not of City Limits. Add your voice now!
Hurricanes Helen and Milton shocked the United States this fall. Regions once thought safe from hurricanes, such as landlocked western North Carolina and sheltered Tampa, were suddenly thrown into chaos as the record storm swept through. Workers considered whether they could afford to take time off to evacuate. The family sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic and paid exorbitant transportation fees in an attempt to escape. And after the storm passed, people returned to pick up the pieces of their homes, businesses, and livelihoods left in ruins.
It’s a somber reminder of Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York 12 years ago this week. The toll was devastating, with 53 people killed and countless others suffering from illness and injury. More than 2 million households lost power, more than 300,000 homes were destroyed, another 100,000 were flooded, and damage was estimated at $32 billion.
Such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more damaging. Hurricanes Helen and Milton killed more than 245 people, caused damage expected to exceed $50 billion each, and average household costs could exceed $20,000. It’s no secret that the climate crisis is coming and accelerating as New Yorkers grow accustomed to the sweltering heat. Stifling, smoky air. And then there was the great flood. Yet our government ignores the devastating economic costs of these disasters to working families and communities.
Prior to the Helen and Milton incident, we heard stories of bosses putting workers at risk and forcing them to choose between job security and their own safety. Families living on paychecks were forced to make impossible decisions about whether they could afford to evacuate as corporate airlines and hotels dramatically raised prices to meet demand. Thousands of people sat in traffic for hours, waiting for fuel and searching for safe routes on busy highways.
It could be us, our neighbors, our family. Are New York and New Yorkers ready for another Sandy, or for something worse?
We are learning every day that there is no climate change haven for anyone, anywhere. But our climate crisis does not exist in a vacuum. It goes hand in hand with corporate greed and our affordability crisis. As wages stagnate, rent, food, and childcare costs continue to rise. Giant companies have merged to become more powerful and continue to drive up prices while failing to pay fair wages and ensure safe working conditions.
Corporate dependence on fossil fuels prevents the expansion of accessible and affordable public transportation beyond metropolitan areas. Many of us are feeling these intersecting crises, and it’s not fair. Black, brown, Indigenous, and immigrant communities disproportionately hold low-wage jobs, live in areas most vulnerable to climate change, and face some of the most existential threats of our generation. are facing the brunt.
You can’t just deal with one problem at a time. We must act on solutions to climate change while transforming our economies to work for everyone. So what can you do?
Back in 2012, ALIGN and the Alliance for Rebuilding Justice coalition worked to ensure that Sandy recovery jobs benefited low-income and affected New Yorkers and were replaced by union jobs. . And in 2019, unions, environmental justice organizations, and affected communities will come together to create a climate initiative that will set a national mandate to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one of the world’s largest economies. The Variation Act was passed. But we are behind.
We have several solutions for you. Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the end of this year to sign the Climate Superfund Act. The law would fund climate action, especially in the environmental justice community, by making the biggest polluters pay damages and paving the way for a renewable economy.
It would also reinstate the congestion pricing program, which was suspended earlier this year to ensure the MTA has sufficient funding to maintain, improve, and expand the LIRR, Metro-North, and New York City’s transit systems. . Mayor Eric Adams will improve “dirty building” laws, local government policies by encouraging and enforcing green energy upgrades in private buildings and funding public buildings, starting with schools in frontline communities. Method 97 can be fully implemented.
But we also need to ensure that all New Yorkers earn a living wage and cover the basic necessities of survival so that the climate emergency does not mean economic ruin or impossible survival choices. We must also build a future where we can earn enough money to live. Guardrails are needed to prevent corporate accountability and monopoly power so that consumers don’t fund huge shareholder profits in times of crisis. And in the long term, we must do more to curb our dependence on fossil fuels, enable green transportation in our state, and bring a renewable economy to all New Yorkers. yeah.
We cannot allow another, more horrifying Sandy to destroy our community from within and without. Our leaders must act urgently to address the overlapping climate and economic crises. Our survival depends on it.
Moore is the executive director of ALIGN, a climate and economic justice organization.
