FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 10, 2025Contact: Chris Dobens, 718-679-8542, chris@weact.org
NEW YORK — In response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ annual State-of-the-City address yesterday, WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Acting Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs Lonnie Portis issued the following statement:
“Despite claims of wanting New York City to lead the nation in fighting climate change, Mayor Eric Adams once again failed to include any efforts to cut emissions and protect residents from extreme heat, flooding, and storms as part of his annual State-of-the-City address. He did pledge additional funds for parks, but it was a gesture that fell far short of his campaign promise of dedicating 1 percent of the city’s budget to the Department of Parks and Recreation – especially after he cut the budget for parks last year.
“We need the Mayor to step up and get some climate justice legislation passed for the city, such as establishing a maximum indoor air temperature – which is part of PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done – and addressing stormwater flooding in communities like East Harlem. This is a real concern because studies show that low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by climate change, pollution, and nearly every environmental hazard.
“The EJNYC Report & Mapping Tool, the city’s first comprehensive study on systemic environmental inequity across all five boroughs, shows that New York City is no exception when it comes to the disproportionate impact of climate change on these communities. But this thorough and insightful report was issued by the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice last year, as a result of legislation that WE ACT and other advocates helped pass before the Mayor took office.
“In his address, the Mayor also talked about concern for the health of the city’s children, for which we applaud him. However, he has done nothing to enforce the groundbreaking New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, also known as Local Law 1 of 2004, which WE ACT and other advocates fought to pass to protect the city’s children from the childhood lead poisoning crisis. More than 20 years after passing that law, and numerous others designed to help end the lead poisoning crisis, 2,557 children in New York City tested positive for elevated blood lead levels as recently as 2021, And studies show that Black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from lead poisoning as poor white children. The Mayor needs to embrace his Taking the Lead on Lead and start holding landlords accountable.”
Mayor Adams’ 2025 State-of-the-City Address is available here. And to see what policies we have prioritized for this year, WE ACT’s 2025 Policy Agenda is available here. We look forward to working with Mayor Adams, the City Council, and their respective staff on these issues, and we also look forward to reviewing the details of the Executive Budget later this month.
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram.
