In his historic acceptance speech, Barack Obama referred to “the enormity of the task that lies ahead.” “The challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime,” he said, “two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.”
“A planet in peril.” Indeed. That our president-elect is so clearly committed to tackling global warming and sustainability is enormously encouraging after eight years of Bush ignoring the evidence and the issues.
Obama has often repeated his goal of encouraging research and development of renewable energy, and that sort of forward thinking is just what our country — and our planet — need right now. There are many green projects that can and should be part of the short-term economic stimulus package that Obama is pushing for.
Mayor Bloomberg has also been on the mark in his “green” initiatives. This week, it was announced the city will require new buildings to include indoor bicycle parking. That’s great news, since it will foster bicycle commuting — nonpolluting, healthy transportation that relieves congestion. The city should also explore ways of encouraging existing buildings to provide similar facilities.
In the same vein, the creation of bike lanes is another positive step by the mayor. One spot that sorely needs a bona fide, protected lane A.S.A.P. is Delancey St. near the Williamsburg Bridge — one of the city’s most heavily used, yet dangerous, bike routes.
The city has also pointed out that much needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gases from older buildings and we’d like to see more action on this front.
The mayor’s idea to charge shoppers a minimal fee, 6 cents, for each plastic bag is also good green thinking. Using a reusable canvas tote bag is no great burden, and this plan could generate up to $16 million a year for the city.
Battery Park City has been a pioneer in the city in terms of green building and sustainability and it looks like that example is being followed across the street at the World Trade Center site.
Tolling traffic is a long overdue idea that looks like it’s coming back on the table. Not only would it immensely improve our community’s livability, it would spur use of mass transit, ferries and bicycle commuting, while providing a steady funding stream for mass transit. The state-appointed commission looking for ways to close the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $14 billion capital budget gap is considering East River bridge tolls and reviving congestion pricing, which failed this year due to a discouraging lack of political will.
Either or both moves would have the added benefit of decreasing Downtown Manhattan’s congestion and pollution. Subway and train riders pay to enter our borough; so should drivers. Bloomberg, the City Council, Governor Patterson and the Legislature must make drivers pay for the privilege to pollute.
There are many ways to make our city and world greener. With Obama and Bloomberg, we’re moving in the right direction. But we all need to be creative and involved, and push for environmentally sustainable initiatives at all levels.
