Dr. Anshul Gupta of the Climate Reality Project on New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was signed into law in July of 2019 and in the waning days of 2022 the final plan for its implementation was released by the state-appointed Climate Action Council.

The Act aims to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the use of renewable energy sources. It requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.

But fossil fuel interests, the gas industry in particular, have been running a massive disinformation campaign about the Act, spreading false and misleading claims about its potential costs and impacts, in an attempt to sow doubt and delay its implementation. Critics argue that the industry is prioritizing profits over the health of the planet and the well-being of communities.

The disinformation campaign is especially targeting plans to electrify new building construction. Buildings are the largest emitters of fossil fuel emissions in the state, comprising 32% of the total. That’s because most buildings are heated by gas, propane or oil. And a majority of New Yorkers use gas to cook their food, despite the fact that gas stoves emit dangerous levels of pollutants into the home.

Among the bills currently being proposed to implement the Climate Law the gas utilities are fighting are laws to mandate electrification in new buildings, to end millions in subsidies that ratepayers pay utilities every year to build out new gas lines, and to make it easier for the state to support low and moderate income families to transition to clean energy for heating and cooling.

This week we spoke to Dr. Anshul Gupta of the Climate Reality Project about the fossil fuel industry’s disinformation campaign. The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice President Al Gore and trains climate reality leaders to work for just climate solutions. Full disclosure, Francesca Rheannon is the co-chair of the Climate Reality Project’s Long Island chapter.

Here is our conversation

During her conversation with Anshul Gupta, Francesca mentioned a video about a study in the Bronx that gave electric induction stoves to some of the residents of a New York public housing building.

The study, conducted by  WE ACT for Environmental Justice, replaced gas stoves in 10 intervention apartments while 10 control apartments retained their gas stoves. 

The results showed significant reductions in indoor air pollution when transitioning from gas to induction stoves. 

The study is the first in the United States to monitor indoor air quality in homes transitioning from gas stoves to electric induction stoves with residents in-place in affordable housing.

Here is information about the Climate Reality Project 

Information about New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act is here  

More information about New York State's efforts to reduce our carbon footprint is  here