Summary
This bill would create an interagency Climate Change Task Force that would develop recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on New York, as well as incorporate such recommendations into a formally approved climate change action plan.

Explanation
Global climate change threatens the environment, natural resources and economy of New York State. Despite setting a goal in the 2002 State Energy Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to five percent below 1990 levels by 2010, New York’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased to approximately seven percent above 1990 levels by year-end 2005. Scientists suggest that in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change we need to cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 75 to 85 percent.  While New York is actively involved in efforts to reduce the pollution that causes climate change such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), much more needs to be done.

This bill would establish an interagency task force to identify and evaluate potential climate change emissions reduction strategies. The task force would also review the existing research on potential climate change impacts, as well as make recommendations on potential adaptive measures appropriate for New York State.  This deliberative process of evaluation along with the adoption of a climate change action plan will serve New York well as it moves forward to tackle one of the toughest environmental problems facing our generation.

Environmental Advocates of New York supports this bill.