As Gov. Kathy Hochul looks to rework New York's climate goals, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's climate chief says the city's own environmental benchmarks are critical to improving affordability in the five boroughs.

Hochul is asking lawmakers to push the timeline set forth in the state’s climate law, which called for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, from 2030 to 2040. The governor has said her actions are motivated by affordability, and that implementing the law under the existing terms would be onerously expensive for New Yorkers.

In contrast, New York City is moving ahead without political delays. Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung told Gothamist that the Mamdani administration sees addressing climate change as part of its broader strategy to tackle affordability.

“The cost of living is increasingly difficult for New Yorkers to remain in the city and to have a good quality of life,” said Yeung, who is leading the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. “Embedded in that is also the amount of money that we are paying for our utility bills, the amount of money that we are spending to rebuild after it floods, and there's so many ways that our climate solutions can be part of our economic justice. Climate solutions can be part of our affordability.”

Yeung, who was formerly the climate chief at the city comptroller's office, said her priorities in her new role include working to meet the targets laid out in the city's Local Law 97, which is intended to wean buildings off gas heating and cooking. She is also looking for ways to lower the number of cars on the road and make sure the city is resilient in the face of an evolving climate.

The city is seeking comments from New Yorkers by April 1 about what they think the Mamdani administration's environmental priorities should be. Yeung said that survey responses will assist in addressing the real needs of residents and could be tailored for different communities.

”We're asking for people to submit their responses, and we will be using all of that input to shape our recommendations and make sure that we are keeping in mind everybody's feedback,” Yeung said.

Yeung, who is months into the job, said the blueprints already exist to begin fulfilling her three biggest priorities, beginning with Local Law 97. The city’s climate law requires the largest buildings to reduce their carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, with a net-zero target set for 2050.

Achieving the near-term goal requires energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits such as the installation of heat pumps instead of gas boilers. To fully comply with the law, buildings will also have to become fully reliant on electric power. Some low- to middle-income co-op buildings owners have said Local Law 97 compliance is too costly for residents.

Yeung said the city’s biggest priorities for implementing the city’s climate law is to make it accessible and affordable. This means funding heat pumps and other technologies via tax rebates, financing and no-cost installations. The city is relying on an extension of a tax abatement that is included in Hochul’s proposed state budget. The abatement provides a significant break on property taxes for New York City buildings for renovations such as replacing gas boilers and energy efficiency upgrades.

Environmental advocates have voiced confidence in the mayor’s action on climate, expecting him to to fully implement Local Law 97 and make good on his campaign promises to champion climate action.

“We’re looking to the mayor to follow-through on his commitments, and so far, that’s what we’re seeing, but it’s still early,” said Pete Sikora, campaigns director for New York Communities for Change. “We’re encouraged by the great work happening to implement the law.”

Transportation is the city’s second largest source of emissions, accounting for more than one-quarter of total climate pollution, according to the city comptroller’s office. Simply put, the city could reduce pollution by cutting the number of vehicles on the road.

The best way to get gas-powered vehicles off the road is to make the other ways of getting around more attractive, Yeung said. The city’s vision includes expanding bike lanes by not only making more of them, but also making existing paths safer. The city also plans to build out a more robust charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

“In  New York City, we have a robust and wide network of public transit,” Yeung said. “We want to get people out of their cars and make it easier for people to use transit or to get on a bike and feel safe in a bike lane. Those are the important shifts that we need to make in order to really reduce those emissions.”

Making sure the city can withstand the effects of climate change is also part of Yeung’s job. That includes looking for ways to address forces like rising sea levels, flooding or extreme heat.

The city has been trying to include the effects of climate change into its design plans for a few years. Shepherding those changes across the city agencies now falls to Yeung. One example is the city Department of Transportation's prototype for new bus shelters that provide protection on hot days by using green roofs.

Last year, the city council passed a law for a maximum indoor temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit for tenant-occupied buildings. Making recommendations on implementing that law also falls to Yeung. She said the city is also looking into what kind of guidelines it can establish for outdoor workers.

“We want to make sure what we’re building can meet the climate conditions that we’re facing now and in the future,” Yeung said.