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In 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which committed New York state to one of the most ambitious environmental goals in the world: an 85% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. The law established interim goals of reducing emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, while mandating that 100% of the electricity generated in the state come from clean energy sources by 2040.
Along with making a complete transition to renewable energy in the power sector, meeting the state’s benchmarks will likely require buildings that rely on gas for heating and hot water to be retrofitted as well as major upgrades to the electrical grid. Alone, any of these measures to decarbonize the built environment would be difficult, but to synchronize them all on an expedited timeline will require a collaborative – and monumental – effort.