good morning. It’s Friday.Today we’ll look at some of the unobtrusive but important Climate law signed by Governor Kathy Hokul this week. And you can hear about the déjà vu as monkeypox spreads throughout the city and the confusion about how to get the vaccine that is so far lacking.
New York has some of the most ambitious legally set climate goals in the United States, but its democratic leaders are moving faster to achieve them from the party’s very enthusiastic segment. The pressure is increasing.
We’ll hear more in the coming weeks about calling for a special session to help state power authorities build public renewable energy projects. Assembly floor.
Climate activists are asking Governor Kathy Hokul to sign a two-year moratorium on energy-intensive fossil fuel-burning cryptocurrency mining facilities. They are also dissatisfied with the failure to pass a bill this year to curb gas connections to newly constructed buildings throughout the state.
But some core climate bills are so core that they were barely reported. Did it Enact it. And while they don’t sound juicy, experts say they are an essential component of achieving the state’s goals: essentially, by 2050, the entire New York economy will cause a climate crisis on Earth. Stop releasing greenhouse gases.
These laws work as follows:
Allows the state to set new energy efficiency standards for buildings, appliances and machinery.
Without norms and standards, government agencies would not be able to fully enforce comprehensive climate legislation.
The new law allows the creation of rules to control greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and activities within buildings. This was not previously part of such a rule.
Allow utilities to enter new businesses: heating and cooling.
This is important to give gas operators something as gas use is phased out — hopefully, proponents are in their fierce lobbying against other bills and actions that limit gas use. Say to reduce activity.
This allows pilot development of utility-scale projects that pump air to heat and cool buildings, similar to heat pumps, but may work for entire blocks or large complex facilities. .. Geothermal pumps and other systems can heat and cool fossil fuels without burning them, but they require a large investment in testing and construction.
Demand general wages for more renewable energy projects.
Governor Hochul has also signed a bill requiring the use of union members for more work, such as installing solar panels and building renewable energy infrastructure.
Like the Heat Utilization Bill, the law argues that it will help expand the political alliance that supports climate change countermeasures by involving more powerful state unions.
Hawkul said Wednesday that he would stand up to the climate, including the right to abortion and gun control, despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that would consider the Agency’s ability to regulate power plant emissions. ..
“Do what you want to do. We will do everything we can to protect our lives, our families, our bodies, and the future of our planet,” she said.
weather
There may be a shower or thunderstorm late in the afternoon. Temperatures peak during the day in the mid-1980s and cool to low temperatures in the 1970s in the evening.
Alternative parking lot
Valid from tomorrow to Monday (Eid al-Adha).
An unfamiliar virus spreads throughout the city. The community is scared. It takes time to find the best preventive measures. Some groups have been stigmatized. Treatment differs between the rich and the poor.
This is a scenario that New York City is familiar with. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. At this time, the city was struck by the first wave in the United States a century ago, the echo of the deadly pandemic of the flu. Also, the AIDS crisis that burned into the memory of many New Yorkers devastated the city’s gay community in the 1980s and 1990s. It was furious for years until scientists found a life-saving cure.
Now that thousands of New Yorkers are scrambling to get a monkeypox vaccine, there are many things that remind us of these plagues.
Although potentially painful, monkeypox is usually not fatal, with AIDS, which was almost always fatal when first infected in the 1980s, and Covid-19, which killed more than a million Americans. There is no comparable risk.
But that doesn’t completely reassure gay men in the city, as my colleague Sharon Otterman reports. Many have found that public health reactions appear to be lame and disorganized, and the fact that the virus spreads through sex between men causes homosexual aversion in the age of AIDS. I’m afraid that there is a possibility.
What you need to know about monkeypox virus
What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a virus that is endemic in parts of Central and West Africa. Similar to smallpox, but less serious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was discovered in 1958 after an outbreak occurred in monkeys kept for research.
“It’s not fair. We feel like we’re back in the stigma of HIV,” said Irving Lewis, who lives in Queens. He recently saw a severe case of monkeypox with a rash on the top and bottom of his arms and legs, so he said he was preparing a vaccine.
Even more frustrating for those seeking vaccines, the developments so far reflect the early days of the Covid-19 vaccine, and finding a reservation may feel like winning a radio contest. The city has decided to use Twitter (a relatively boutique social media app) as the primary way to notify people and assign an appointment for the first dose of the very popular monkeypox vaccine via an online system. did. On Wednesday, 2,500 reservations were made within minutes.
“By following the instructions of the Ministry of Health, the chances of getting a vaccine have been reduced to zero,” he said. Nicholas DiamondSpent hours looking for shots and updating the city’s website. “”I’m really worried that the city, state and federal governments haven’t learned anything from Covid’s response. “
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, a city health commissioner, apologized for glitches and said the problem was being resolved as efforts expanded.
“Fairness is very difficult to maintain in an environment of supply shortages,” he said.