Op-ed | Hochul must not abdicate New York’s climate commitments

From where to buy the best bagels to mayoral candidates, there’s not a lot the New York Jewish community sees eye-to-eye on, especially these days. So when over a thousand members of the community – from all denominations and across the state – get behind a single issue, it’s no small deal.

The issue at hand? Governor Hochul’s abdication of leadership when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. It’s pretty simple. The Governor, previously a keen champion for climate action, is quietly (and sometimes, not so quietly) walking back previous commitments and refusing to take on new ones.

Next week, the Jewish community will celebrate Tu Bishvat, the Jewish new year for trees. On this holiday, we recognize our connection to and responsibility for the natural world – a world increasingly threatened by the escalating climate crisis. In this of all seasons, we cannot stand idly by while our elected leaders fail to make good on their climate commitments – especially when, in the past, they have led with vision and clarity.

In her recent State of the State address, the Governor shared her vision for addressing many of the problems New Yorkers face every day. Her decision to expand affordable childcare and early childhood education in New York City with Mayor Mamdani, for example, will profoundly improve the lives of so many families. Her commitment to defending New Yorkers’ constitutional rights from federal encroachment could not be more essential.

But her silence on climate action is uncomfortably loud.

A leader in our nation, New York State has already made significant promises to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate its transition to renewable energy. New York’s bold 2019 climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, mandates driving down emissions and directing clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities. But the Governor now needs to live up to those promises and develop a coherent, detailed, and rapid plan for New York’s energy transition.

It is true that Governor Hochul previously delivered on some climate commitments, such as standing up for congestion pricing and offshore wind. But she has also recently backtracked, signalling that she may be walking away from renewable energy. In November, she approved a new fossil fuel project: the Williams NESE Pipeline. This pipeline will escalate carbon emissions, accelerate the climate crisis, poison air and water, and raise energy prices for households. President Trump vociferously supported this pipeline, and there is a very real worry that the Governor is caving to pressure: both from the fossil fuel industry and the President.

Governor Hochul’s executive budget, released January 20, did little to assuage our worries; the budget does not include much new funding for climate and environmental justice. Sorely missing is New York’s long-past-due cap and invest program, the very program that would help drive down emissions in the state and fund a just transition to renewables.

The Jewish communal letter to the Governor, calling on her not to abandon her climate commitments, was sponsored by four organizations and signed by scores of clergy and over a thousand community members across denominations. It reflects the breadth of Jewish communal support for addressing the climate crisis.

Of course, the Jewish community is only one among many calling on Hochul to address the existential threat of the climate crisis. It is clear that New Yorkers of all backgrounds are tired of regressive thinking and weak leadership when it comes to the most urgent issues of our day. We insist that our state deliver on its commitments to policies that will enable us and future generations to thrive; all families deserve the chance to live safe, healthy, and sustainable – in every sense of the word.

As we wrote in our communal letter to the Governor, “We share a deep love for our families, communities and the Earth; and we are deeply concerned that the effects of climate change will ruin everything we love. This love and our Jewish values compel us to act in order to preserve life, a concept in Jewish tradition known as pikuach nefesh.”

Our message to Governor Hochul: it’s time to act.

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn is Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action.