>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO

"METROFOCUS."

I'M JENA FLANAGAN.

JUST THIS MONTH THE WORLD MAY BE

UNLIVABLE UNLESS THE GLOBAL

COMMUNITY STARTS TAKING SERIOUS

AK.

THE FIGHT TO MITT GATE AND ADAPT

A CLIMATE CHANGE CAN FEEL

OVERMELMING WHEN YOU HEAR

STATEMENTS LIKE THAT AND THE

RECENT STORMS THAT SLAMMED THE

TRI-STATE, BUT THERE IS HOPE FOR

SAVING THE PLANET IN HONOR OF

EARTH DAY THIS WEEK AND WE'RE

BRINGING YOU RELL-LIFE SOLUTIONS

AND STEPS YOU CAN TAKE AT HOME

TO COMBAT THE CRISIS.

TO HELP US DO THAT IT IS OUR

PLEASURE TO WELCOME BACK BILL

OLFELDER FROM NEW YORK.

HE JOINS US AS PART OF THE

INITIATIVE ON THE HUMAN STORIES

OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS

SOLUTIONS.

BILL, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU

BACK ON THE SHOW.

>> THANKS, JENA.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE DURING THE

WEEK OF EARTH DAY AND APRIL'S

EARTH MONTH.

SO, THANKS.

>> OF COURSE.

OF COURSE.

AS I MENTIONED IN THE INTRO, IT

SEEMS AT THIS POINT THAT

EVERYTHING WE'RE HEARING ABOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ACTION

THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN, IT FEELS

LIKE WE'RE FPAST THE LER11th HO

AND IT FEELS INCREDIBLY

OVERWHELMING AND WHAT IS THE

SUGGESTION FOR PEOPLE ESPECIALLY

THOSE FOLLOWING THE CLIMATE

CHANGE ISSUE AND THE FACT THAT

SCIENTISTS KEEP SAYING WE

HAVEN'T DONE ENOUGH.

HOW DO WE COMBAT THE FEELING

EVER PARALYZING FEAR?

>> WELL, THE FIRST THING I WANT

FOLKS TO THINK ABOUT IS THE

ORIGINAL EARTH DAY IN 197052

YEARS AGO AND REAL PROGRESS WAS

MADE.

SO I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT

WHEN WE BAND TOGETHER AND FOCUS

ON THE RIGHT THINGS WE CAN MAKE

REAL PROGRESS.

SO OUT OF THE ORIGINAL EARTH DAY

CAME THE CLEAN WATER ACT AND THE

CLEAN AIR ACT AND THE ENDANGERED

SPECIES ACT AND THE CREATION OF

THE ASCPA AND ALL OF THESE

THINGS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED THE

UNITED STATES.

WE HAVE BREATHABLE AIR NOW.

RIVERS AREN'T CATCHING ON FIRE.

THE HUDSON IS FAR CLEANER TODAY

THAN IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO.

WE DON'T SEE OFTEN THE BALD

EAGLE SPECIES LIKE THAT ARE NOW

HUNTING IN CENTRAL PARK.

THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT

LITERALLY 52 YEARS AGO SEEMED

UNIMAGINABLE, AND SO THERE IS

THE REAL PROSPECT FOR MAKING A

DIFFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE.

I THINK THE CHALLENGE, AS YOU

SAID ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IS IT

IS SO BIG AND IT'S HARDER TO

SEE.

SO AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT THOSE

SMOGGY SKY, THOSE BURNING

RIVERS, AND DYING WILD LIFE, BUT

I THINK WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

THOSE EFFECTS ARE CATCHING UP TO

US.

THE DROUGHT, THE WILDFIRES AND

THE FLOODING AND THE MORE PEOPLE

ARE EXPERIENCING THAT PAIN AND

THAT LOSS, THE MORE ACTIVE AND

DETERMINED THEY'RE GOING TO BE

AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE

CAN DO, AND AS I REMIND FOLKS,

THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE TO BE

PROBABLY IN THE WORLD THAN NEW

YORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE GIVEN

CITY COMMITMENTS, PARTICULARLY

STATE COMMITMENTS AND WHAT A LOT

OF NEW YORKERS CAN DO IN THEIR

DAILY LIVES.

>> AND THERE ARE SO MANY

DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADDRESS THERE

ISSUE, BUT SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT

WE EACH CAN INDIVIDUALLY DO, I

THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE

HEARD CONFLICTING INFORMATION

LIKE THAT RECYCLING ACTUALLY

ISN'T AS BENEFICIAL FOR THE

PLANET AS WE'VE HEARD OR THAT

ACTUALLY IS THE CARBON FOOTPRINT

YOU CREATED BY USING CANVAS BAGS

IS SOMETIMES WORSE THAN USING

PAPER BAGS.

HOW DO PEOPLE NAVIGATE THE

CONFLICTING INFORMATION JUST

ABOUT THE PERSONAL STEPS THAT

THEY CAN TAKE?

>> YEAH.

I THINK -- SO THIS IS REALLY

IMPORTANT AND BOTH THINGS ARE

IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO

REMEMBER AND ON THE ONE HAND

THERE ARE SYSTEM LEVEL CHANGES

THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN IN THE

POLICY LEVEL, AND AT THE

REGULATORY LEVEL SO IT DOESN'T

ALL FALL TO US AS INDIVIDUALS IN

OUR ACTIONS, BUT OUR INDIVIDUAL

ACTIONS DO MATTER.

THEY REALLY DO, AND I WANT TO

REMIND NEW YORKERS THAT THE VERY

FIRST THING THAT HELPS IN A

SUSTAINABLE LOWER CARBON

POLLUTION PLANET IS JUST BY

BEING IN NEW YORK.

SO SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT WE

DO IN OUR DAILY LIVES MAKE A

DIFFERENCE.

SO TAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT INSTEAD

OF DRIVING.

TH

OF COURSE, PEOPLE IN THE

PANDEMIC HAVE TURNED TO THEIR

CARS AND WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE

IN BIKE RIDERSHIP AND IT'S

EXPLODING ACROSS THE CITY.

SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO REDUCE

OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND OUR

DAILY COMMUTE AND TRANSIT.

YES, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE

ARE DIFFERENT RETURNS ON

INVESTMENT FOR THINGS LIKE

RECYCLING PROGRAMS, BUT AT THE

END OF THE DAY THE MORE THAT WE

COLLECTIVELY DO TOWARDS THAT, WE

SEND MARKET SIGNALS OUT THERE

THAT THERE IS A REAL CONSUMER

DEMAND THAT THE SERVICE HAS

PROVIDED.

DEFINITELY RECYCLE AND

DEFINITELY COMPOST.

THAT TAKES A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF

WASTE OUT OF THE WASTE STREAM,

AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN

DO IN OUR DAILY LIVES LIKE JUST

TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE.

I MAKE A POINT OF IT WHEN I'M

HAVE SAI

VISITING WITH FRIENDS AND OTHERS

IS JUST TO TALK ABOUT CLIMATE

CHANGE AND WHAT ARE THE VALUES

THAT UNITE US AND HOW TAKING

CLIMATE CHANGE IS IMPORTANT TO

SUSTAIN THOSE THINGS AND THEN

ALSO JUST GETTING OUT IN NATURE.

I MEAN, WE SAW AN EXPLOSION IN

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING TO

NEW YORK CITY PARKS OR, YOU

KNOW, PROTECTED AREAS AND

PRESERVES ALL ACROSS THE STATE

AT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, IT IS

UP 300% AND GET OUT IN NATURE

AND CONNECT TO NATURE.

THAT INSPIRES YOU.

IT WILL LIFT YOUR SPIRITS AND

THEN THAT WILL RENEW YOUR

COMMITMENT TO TACKLING CLIMATE

CHANGE.

SO LOTS OF VITAMIN N, AS I LIKE

TO SAY, FROM NATURE.

>> IT'S INTERESTING WHEN YOU

MENTIONED JUST THE NATURE OF

BEING IN NEW YORK.

OF COURSE, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN

NEW YORK CITY THERE ARE OPTIONS

LIKE A CITY BIKE AND PERHAPS,

YOU KNOW, GREENER BUILDINGS AND

FOR PEOPLE IN THE REST OF THE

STATE THERE ARE OPTIONS LIKE

SOLAR PANELS ON YOUR HOME, ET

CETERA, HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO

ASK AND ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING

THAT FOR PROCRASTINATING

AMERICANS LIKE MYSELF, THOSE OF

US WHO HAVE DONE OUR TAXES

RECENTLY WERE VERY, VERY AWARE

OF THE FACT THAT SO MANY OF

THOSE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO,

THERE'S A FINANCIAL BARRIER FOR

A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND THAT

PERHAPS, WHICH SHOULD GIVE BACK

AT LEAST FINANCIALLY,

MONETARILY, DOESN'T REFLECT THE

AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAD TO

PUT UP FRONT AND SO THAT CAN

ALSO BE -- IT CAN FEEL LIKE A

DETERRENT FOR SOME PEOPLE.

>> I THINK IN SOME WAY, THE GOOD

NEWS IS THERE'S SOME HELP THAT'S

ON THE WAY AND AGAIN, THIS GOES

BACK TO MY COMMENT ABOUT IF YOU

CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE

PLANET AND YOU CARE ABOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE'S PROBABLY

NO BETTER PLACE TO LIVE THAN NEW

YORK AND SO NEW YORK JUST PASSED

ITS STATE BUDGET EARLIER THIS

MONTH IN EARTH MONTH AND THERE

ARE SOME MASSIVE COMMITMENTS

THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE OUR LIVES

EASIER IN TERMS OF DOING THE

RIGHT THING AND FEELING, I

THINK, THAT RETURN AND GETTING A

REAL RETURN ON IT.

SO I WOULD DIVIDE IT INTO TWO

CATEGORIES, SO ONE IS THE STATE

BUDGET INCLUDES A $4.2 BILLION

BOND ACT CALLED THE CLEAN WATER,

CLEAN AIR BOND ACT AND THIS IS

ALL ABOUT INVESTING BILLIONS OR

IN SOME INSTANCES

THREE-QUARTERS, HUNDREDS OF

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THE

CLIMATE MITIGATION SO REDUCING

CARBON POLLUTION AND THE SECOND

IS ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCY AND

HOW WE PREPARE FOR THIS CLIMATE

CHANGING WORLD THAT WE'RE

HEARING ABOUT IN THE IPCC REPORT

AND THEN MASSIVE MULTIHUNDRED

MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENTS IN

CLEAN WATER AND OPEN SPACE WHICH

ACTUALLY ALL RELATE TO THE

WELL-BEING OF NEW YORKERS AND

OUR ABILITY TO GET THAT RETURN

ON INVESTMENT WHICH YOU'RE

SDRIEK.

>> AND THEN THERE'S THE REGULAR

STATE BUDGET, SO THIS ISN'T THE

SPECIAL BOND ACT THAT WILL BE ON

THE BALLOT THIS FALL, BUT I HOPE

THAT EVERYBODY REMEMBERS THIS

EARTH DAY AND EARTH MONTH AND

TURNS THE BALLOT OVER AND VOTES

YES ON THE BOND ACT, BUT THERE

WERE THINGS LIKE MAJOR

COMMITMENTS AND HALF A BILLION

DOLLARS OF BUILDING WIND

TURBINES AS THE OFFSHORE AND

ONSHORE WIND ENERGY EFFORT IN

THE STATE AND THERE ARE ALSO

PROTECTIONS FOR MILLIONS FOR

WETLANDS AND THESE ARE THINGS

THAT WE KIND OF MISS GOING ABOUT

OUR DAILY LIVES, BUT AS WE LIKE

TO SAY AT THE NATURE

CONSERVANCY.

THESE ARE LIKE THE KIDNEYS OF

THE PLANET.

THEY FILTER THE RUNOFF AND CLEAN

WATER FOR OUR COMMUNE SXITS ALSO

WILD LIFE.

THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S

BEEN DEBATED BY NEW YORK STATE

FOR YEARS AND YEARS, AND NOT A

LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF JUST

HOW IMPORTANT THOSE WETLANDS ARE

WITH PROTECTIONS.

>> AND THEN SOME ADDITIONAL

MONEY FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION FUND AND ADDITIONAL

MONIES FOR CLEAN WATER

INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO NEW YORK IS PUTTING ITS MONEY

WHERE ITS MOUTH IS.

IT'S REALLY TRYING TO WALK THAT

CLIMATE CHANGE TALK AND IT'S

EXCITING TO SEE.

SO I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE

SOME OF THESE THINGS EVOLVE OVER

TIME AS NEW YORK INCREASINGLY

MAKES THESE SMART INVESTMENTS.

>> I THINK THAT'S ALL REALLY

INSPIRING TO HEAR.

HOWEVER, NEW YORK IS JUST ONE

STATE IN THE UNION OF 50 AND

AMERICA IS JUST ONE COUNTRY IN

THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY.

I GUESS THEN MY NEXT QUESTION

WOULD BE IF ALL THE STATES

AREN'T EVEN ONBOARD TO BE AS

AGGRESSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE AS

NEW YORK IS, THEN WHERE DOES

THAT LEAVE THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY?

BECAUSE THE U.N. WARNING WAS

ABOUT THE ENTIRE PLANET.

>> RIGHT.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT OBSERVATION,

AND I MEAN, I'LL SAY WHAT I

WORRY ABOUT AND THEN WHEN I SEE

SOME HOPE.

THE OTHER THING THAT DEFINED

EARTH DAY IN 1970 WAS IT WAS A

NON-PARTISAN OR YOU CAN ARGUE

BACK IN THE DAY, A BIPARTISAN

EFFORT ASK DEMOCRATS AND

REPUBLICANS TOGETHER, WAS

PRESIDENT NIXON CREATED FOR THE

USEPA.

I DON'T THINK HE WAS WILD ABOUT

CREATING IT IN THE MOMENT AND HE

SAW POLITICAL FORCES, THIS NEEDS

TO HAPPEN.

THIS IS A NECESSITY FOR OUR

COUNTRY.

OBVIOUSLY, WE ARE SO POLARIZED.

SO WHAT I THINK IT TAKES IN THIS

WORLD ARE THE EXAMPLES AND SO

THE THINGS THAT NEW YORK IS

DOING, WE AT THE NATURE

CONSERVANCY, WE OPERATE IN ALL

50 STATES AND WE OPERATE IN

OKLAHOMA, MISSOURI AS WELL AS

WASHINGTON AND OKLAHOMA.

SO WHEN NEW YORK IS LEADING THE

WAY IN THINGS LIKE THE BOND ACT

OR ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE IS IT

IS SOON TO BE IMPLEMENTING

CONGESTION PRICING SO IF YOU

DRIVE YOUR CAR INTO MANHATTAN

DURING CERTAIN HOURS OF THE DAY

IT WILL BE CHARGED A SURCHARGE.

THAT WILL GENERATE ABOUT A

BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR

PUBLIC TRANSIT.

SUBWAYS, BUSSES, LONG ISLAND

RAIL

RAILROAD AND METRO NORTH.

THE FEES WILL REDUCE COMMISSIONS

AND IT WILL GENERATE RESOURCES

TO FURTHER INVEST IN PUBLIC

TRANSIT.

THE NUMBER OF STATES AND CITIES

THAT ARE LOOKING OVER OUR

SHOULDER AT HOW THIS GETS

IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE THEY'RE

INTERESTED IN THIS IN MIAMI, IN

LOS ANGELES, IN SEATTLE AND

OTHER PLACES.

SO I THINK NEW YORK REALLY IS

THIS LEADING, SORT OF BEACON IN

HOW DO YOU GET TO NETZERO

EMISSIONS BY 2050 AND WE CAN

PROVIDE A ROAD MAP.

THERE ARE FOLKS IN THE BOYDEN

ADMINISTRATION'S SECRETARY OF

ENERGY WAS IN NEW YORK AND SHE

SAID VERY CLEARLY.

NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE IS

PROVIDING THE BLUEPRINT FOR THE

NATION.

WE'LL BE DUKING IT OUT

POLITICALLY HERE FOR YEARS TO

COME, BUT YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE

A SHIFT IN THE BUILD BACK BETTER

AND THE INVESTMENT IN NATURAL

INFRASTRUCTURE AS A PART OF

INFRASTRUCTURE.

THESE ARE MAJOR SHIFTS WE'RE

SEEING.

SO AGAIN, THERE'S NO BETTER

PLACE TO BE THAN IN NEW YORK FOR

WHAT THE DIFFERENCE WE'RE MAKING

HERE LOCALLY, BUT ALSO THE

EXAMPLE WE SET NATIONALLY TO

OTHERS AND GLOBALLY.

>> WELL, BILL, YOU KNOW, I SAY

THIS LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY

TO THE SUBJECT THAT WEIR

DISCUSS WE ARE

DISCUSSING, BUT WE ARE OUT OF

TIME AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR

GIVING US SOMETHING POSITIVE TO

LOOK FORWARD TO ESPECIALLY WHEN

IT COMES TO THE RECENT U.N.

REPORT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING

US.

ONCE AGAIN, BILL OLFELDER,

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE

CONSERVANCY IN NEW YORK.

>> THANKS, JENA.

ALWAYS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.

REALLY APPRECIATE IT.