Following Amsterdam City Council's declaration on June 20th, New York City also joined over 600 local governments around the world in recognising the dire need to act on our current climate crisis.

On June 26th, following a city council vote, New York City became the largest city in the US to declare climate emergency. Currently, there are 16 others in the country, such as San Fransisco, Hoboken, and Oakland. The legislation aims at significantly reducing carbon emissions and was overwhelmingly supported by city council members. 

With the declaration, New York City is calling for “immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate.”

Despite being largely symbolic, the legislation is a victory in the fight towards pushing local and national policymakers to act on the impending climate crisis and take the necessary and urgent measures. The declaration came only a week after New York State lawmakers passed a sweeping bill that aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

State Governor Andrew Cuomo said, "Ignoring climate change leaves our children to deal with its catastrophic consequences. As Washington turns a blind eye and rolls back decades of environmental protections, New York turns to a future of net zero emissions."