In 2024, the city\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions dropped to levels not seen since 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014\u00a0a sign, environmentalists say, that new climate policies are making a difference.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s latest annual greenhouse gas inventory<\/a> shows a decrease of about 5% in emissions citywide compared to the previous year and a 25% cut since 2005, when the city began tracking its emissions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Greenhouse gas emissions \u2014 which include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, among others \u2014 trap heat and warm the planet. They also worsen air quality, causing and exacerbating harmful health outcomes<\/a>, such as asthma.<\/p>\n In New York City, the major sources of greenhouse gases are residential and commercial buildings, manufacturing, cars and trucks, landfills and wastewater treatment. But significant drops in those emissions came as a result of increased energy efficiency and the phase-out of fuel oil in buildings, as well as the rise of hybrid and electric cars as well as fuel-efficient gas vehicles.<\/p>\n The pandemic spurred the largest drop<\/a> in emissions since tracking began, with a 9% decline between 2019 and 2020 \u2014 including a 21% decline in transportation emissions \u2014\u00a0as people stayed home or left the city entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In 2024, transportation emissions were more than 16% higher than in 2020, but emissions from buildings and waste were 5% and 3% lower, respectively. Compared to 2005 levels, in 2024, transportation emissions were down more than 22%, waste emissions by over 19% and buildings almost 27%.<\/p>\n In 2024, emissions from natural gas increased 15% compared to 2005, but were still at decade low.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elijah Hutchinson, executive director of the Mayor\u2019s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, pointed out that the annual drop in natural gas emissions was equivalent to taking almost 600,000 gas cars off the road\u2014about the amount registered in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n \u201cReduced reliance on fossil fuels and a shift to electric transportation are driving cleaner air across the city,\u201d Hutchinson said. \u201cExpanded composting and anaerobic digestion programs are keeping more food and yard waste out of landfills. At the same time, New York City continues to scale up clean energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Tough New Laws<\/p>\n Several city laws and initiatives \u2014 and standards<\/a> set at the federal level \u2014 helped explain the decrease in emissions in 2024.<\/p>\n A program<\/a> through the Taxi and Limousine Commission mandated a minimum of 5% of rides from for-hire car services like Uber or Lyft be electric<\/a> (or wheelchair-accessible) by 2024\u2019s end \u2014 a goal that was exceeded. According to a citywide sustainability report update<\/a>, 8.6% of Lyft and Uber rides took place in electric vehicles in February 2024. The minimum percentages will rise each year, with a goal of all rides electric or accessible by 2030.<\/p>\n Two citywide laws targeting buildings, the largest source of the city\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions, also were in effect in 2024.<\/p>\n For instance, a law<\/a> prohibits the use of fossil fuels in new buildings with six or fewer stories. (The ban goes into effect in 2027 for taller buildings.) That means developers must include water heaters, heating systems and stoves powered by electricity rather than gas or oil. Earlier laws<\/a> required the phase-out of highly polluting fuel oil in buildings, leading to replacement with gas or electricity.<\/p>\n Large buildings also had to abide by the carbon emission caps set by Local Law 97 starting in 2024 and prepare to reduce their emissions as the limits get stricter in coming years. Property owners have taken steps to comply by installing solar or switching to more efficient appliances, among other carbon-cutting actions.<\/p>\n Under the same law, the city is required to cut emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.<\/p>\n In large part, the city\u2019s ability to continue to achieve those declines in emissions depends on the rate and extent to which the state transitions<\/a> the city\u2019s electric grid to cleaner sources of power and delivers that power to the boroughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Currently fossil fuels account for almost all electric generation, as gas generation took the place of the emissions-free nuclear power that served the city until 2021, after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the Indian Point nuclear reactor shut down<\/a>. The completion of Empire Wind, an offshore wind project<\/a>, and a transmission line to bring hydropower from Canada, would replace Indian Point\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n Victoria Cerullo, director of urban engagement at the New York Climate Exchange, said the numbers show the success of policymaking and enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there is more work to do, the city has made great strides over the past few years to reduce building emissions with Local Law 97 implementation and the phasing out of dirty heating oils, which has played a big role in this downward trend,\u201d said Cerullo, who previously worked in the Mayor\u2019s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese aren\u2019t just numbers in spreadsheets. They represent healthier outcomes for people who live in the city, and if we want a more affordable city, bringing down greenhouse gas emissions is an important part of that equation.\u201d<\/p>\n