Con Edison: Energy NY - Energy NY - The Environmental Challenge

how con edison is addressing new york’s energy and environmental issues

The Environmental Challenge

Air quality is one of the many environmental challenges facing New York; furthermore, we now realize that environmental challenges are not merely local or even national, but global. Addressing environmental issues must be an important priority for every country, company, and individual.

Energy production and energy use play significant roles in the context of climate change and global warming. Approximately 80% of New York City’s carbon emissions result directly and indirectly from energy use in buildings. As New York City’s largest energy-delivery provider, Con Edison operates from the premise that environmental concerns are real, that we have the ability – and responsibility – to make positive changes, and that what individuals, companies, and governments do today will profoundly affect the future.

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) charged the federal government with the responsibility to work with states, organizations, and businesses, and to use all the means at its disposal so that the nation may “fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding generations.”

Despite the environmental awareness of the 1960s and 70s, it took time for global environmental issues to move to the forefront. Serious debate about climate change and global warming continued for many years. However, the scientific community now agrees that human activity is influencing climate change and accelerating global warming.

The World Meteorological Organization, and the United Nations Environmental Program, established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, to assess scientific and other information relevant for the understanding of climate change; to determine its potential impacts; and propose options for mitigation. The IPCC issued its most recent assessment in 2007 through a series of working group reports.

The first IPCC Working Group determined that global warming since the mid-20th century was unequivocal and was caused primarily by human activities, and that past emissions of heat-trapping gases make some continued warming unavoidable. Working Group II concluded that the consequences of recent warming were already apparent around the world, and that the severity of future impacts depends largely on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted by current and future human activities. Working Group III was charged with assessing the potential for society to mitigate future warming by reducing emissions.

The scientific evidence indicates that a “business as usual” strategy increases the risks of more severe, and perhaps irreversible, effects of climate change. Associated with global warming is a rise in sea levels. During the 20th century, sea levels rose five to six inches more than the global average along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. Global warming is expected to cause an increase in heat waves, higher levels of precipitation, and severe storms in some parts of the world, and droughts in others.

PlaNYC 2030 recognizes both the challenge and necessity of meeting New York City’s growing housing, transportation, and energy needs while improving the city’s air quality and reducing other forms of pollution. Con Edison’s believes the company also must be part of the worldwide effort to mitigate global warming.

Previous Section - Next Section