New York City Archives - State of the Planet

Diversity as a Value, and the Economic Value of Diversity

New York City’s resilience and great economic strength are directly derived from its diverse people and communities.

by |February 13, 2023

New York City Government Struggles to Advance Sustainability Goals

Managing New York City is enormously complicated, and reaching carbon reduction goals will be a matter of two steps forward and one step back; management innovation is necessary to bring our city government’s operations into the 21st century and hasten the transition to environmental sustainability.

by |February 6, 2023

New York City’s Greenery Absorbs a Surprising Amount of Its Carbon Emissions

A hyper-local study of vegetation shows that the city’s trees and grass often cancel out all the CO2 released from cars, trucks and buses on summer days.

by |January 5, 2023
satellite image of rikers island

A Renewable Future for Formerly Incarcerated New Yorkers

Rikers Island, the world’s largest penal colony, could become a solar farm. While this is a significant step toward a healthier future, certain considerations must be taken into account to ensure the transition is just and equitable.

by Joshua Nodiff |December 15, 2022

New York City’s Dynamism is Why Our City Will Not Fail

Diversity and tolerance comprise the secret sauce that fuels New York City’s creative and economic dynamism.

by |November 7, 2022

She Led Scientists Advising New York on Climate Change. Did the City Listen?

Cynthia Rosenzweig co-chaired the New York City Panel on Climate Change, an expert body advising the mayor, from its inception four years before Hurricane Sandy, and well after. Here, she assesses what was learned, and done, before and after.

by |October 29, 2022

The ‘Cassandra of the Subways’ on Hurricane Sandy, Ten Years Later

Klaus Jacob predicted for years how the New York City subways would flood in a superstorm. Finally, authorities began to listen, but long-term preventive action came too little, too late.

by |October 21, 2022

New York City’s Former Top Climate Official on the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

Engineer Daniel Zarrilli advised both the Bloomberg and deBlasio administrations in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. He is now a special advisor on sustainability and climate to Columbia University.

by |October 20, 2022

A Climate and Weather Expert on What We Know About Giant Storms Since Sandy

A scientist and writer reflects on the links between climate and extreme weather, New York City’s preparedness, and the role of the media in informing the public.

by |October 19, 2022
New York City Gridlock

Data Dive: NYC Traffic Trends, Street Safety and Public Health

Professor Peter Muennig discusses the state of New York City’s streets, and what could be done to make them safer.

by |September 27, 2022