February 2024
January 2024

February 2024

NYS Climate Impacts Assessment – Allison Chatrchyan

The latest state climate impacts report was released earlier February. Allison Chatrchyan, a research associate at CALS and adjunct professor of law at the Cornell Law School, helped lead the team that focused on agriculture. Allison provided an overview of the report, and she also shared her experience as co-chair of the agriculture team

• Allison is environmental social scientist – engages in cross-disciplinary research – came to Cornell ten years ago and before that worked at Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Especially interested in stakeholder engaged research involving climate change – NYS Climate Impacts Assessment great example of this approach – much richer assessment as result
• Works with Cornell -- climate-smart farming program at Cooperative Extension
• Ag assessment will feed into work at this program
• Stakeholder includes technical working group, advisory group, larger assessment team, Cornell extension team, etc.
• Co-chaired Ag chapter with Deborah Aller – task of committee:
  • Sep 2021 – Feb 2024
  • Assess climate impacts to the agriculture sector
  • Use a rigorous assessment methodology, traceable accounts
  • Identity climate change adaptation strategies by sector
  • Greater focus on underserved farmers, climate equity, justice concerns
• Assessed climate impacts to agriculture sector since ClimAID (2011)
• Used rigorous assessment methodology like IPCC or US national climate assessment, drawing on secondary literature
• NYSERDA-led project – assignment was to update ClimAID report – carried out extensive review of literature on agriculture in NY and US
• Included findings from interviews with farmers, reports, US agriculture census, and many other sources
• Identified climate change adaptation strategies in agriculture sector and focused more than previous study on underserved farmers, Indigenous communities, and climate equity and justice concerns
• Allison led focus in chapter on underserved groups and communities – all chapters in report paid close attention to issue of adaptation
• Assessment was broken up by regions, which can be found at https://nysclimateimpacts.org/explore-by-region/
• Since 1901, average temperatures in NYS have increased by about 2.5 °F – at a higher rate than the US average
• Temperatures of NY could rise between 5 - 11 ° F by the 2080s
• Allison highlighted climate report 10 years ago couldn’t make as strong of a statement about precipitation, but now we can see increased precipitation
• Total annual participation in NYS increased from 1901 to 2022 – varies more widely from year to year
• Total precipitation is projected to increase about 9 – 12 % by the 2080s
• Largest increases projected for Long Island, NYC, Champlain Valley, and St. Lawrence Valley
• Extreme events such as precipitation is particularly difficult for the agriculture
• With warmer winters and longer growing seasons, plant hardiness zones are shifting northward across NYS
• Also seen changes in pests – e.g., Kudzu (invasive weed), spotted lantern fly, increase in ticks
• Changes of pests, diseases, weed pressure are particularly difficult for farmers
• Dale Stein, well-known farmer leading the NYS agriculture said No.1 adaptation tool for farmers is cover crops - it makes the most difference right away quickly
• Other tools include improving soil health, using drought-tolerant crops and varieties, improving drainage, no till or low till, creating buffer zones around waterways to reduce erosion and runoff, deploying integrated pest management, double cropping and intercropping, hail netting for perennial fruit crops, wood chips, wind machines to protect against frost after warming periods
• Key Finding #1 (Severe impacts)
  • Severe impacts - extreme precipitation, short-term drought, heat stress, warmer winter, last spring freezes, increased pest and production costs
  • Droughts and heat stress decrease crop yields and create water scarcity, while unseasonal freezes cause significant losses
  • Expected to intensify as temperature and precipitation extremes become more common
• Key Finding #2 (Multiplier)
  • Climate change is a threat multiplier for agriculture – farmers already face many stressors like tight profit margins and labor shortages
  • Unexpected costs and reduced farming periods disproportionately harm economically strained rural and marginalized communities
  • There are opportunities to lessen the adverse effects by adapting to climate shifts and improving management of existing stressors
• Key Finding #3 (Awareness)
  • Farmers and other agricultural stakeholders show awareness and acknowledgment of climate change impacts on agriculture
  • Damages and reduced operational times compound hardships particularly in rural areas and for communities
  • Strategic climate adaptation and tackling non-climatic challenges can alleviate agriculture's negative impacts
• Key Finding #4 (Resilience)
  • Farmers are implementing and investing in practices that make their farm businesses more resilient to climate extremes
  • Improvements such as enhancing soil health not only prepare farms for climate change but also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • These may not completely counteract the projected climate impacts in NY, but they are crucial in strengthening farm resilience
• Key Finding #5 (Support)
  • Enhanced technical support, financial assistance, research are crucial to increase the adaptive capacity
  • Farms will face greater risk of physical, social, and economic losses
  • Active engagement between policymakers, farmers, stakeholders can help shape realistic policies and programs for farm businesses
• Case studies
  • Based on interviews with 6 farmers around NYS
  • Dairy, perennial fruit, viticulture and wine making, field crops, urban Ag, Indigenous community
  • Detailed stories can be found at http://nysclimateimpacts.org/explore-the-assessment/case-studies/#Ag
• Allison also heads up Cornell Climate Stewards Program – trains NYS residents on science, impacts, and solutions to climate change – support municipalities taking part in Climate Smart Communities
• Trained 94 climate stewards from 15 counties – pre- and post-assessment of learning outcomes

Q&A

• Peter: What was the biggest difference between the report produced 10 years ago and this report?
• Allison: The recent report differs from the previous one primarily in its stakeholder engagement process, involving input from various groups, including Indigenous communities
• It emphasizes the identification and representation of underserved populations, particularly in agricultural regions facing poverty
• This approach brought to light the challenges of farming communities in poverty-stricken areas like the Mohawk Valley
• Peter: What was biggest surprise that you encountered?
• Allison: The biggest surprise for me was hearing farmers themselves speak about cascading impacts, a concept I often teach
• It was so impactful that we made it a central finding of our report
• Ariel Ortiz Bobaya, a Cornell agricultural economist who focuses on climate impacts, helped us illustrate how climate change amplifies economic challenges in agriculture
• Irene: Can you specify how many farmers are adopting these practices—10% or 80%? What educational and incentive programs are available to support this?
• Allison: The adoption of cover crops and no-till farming is much higher than 10% now, likely around 50%, representing a significant increase over the last ten years
• Adopting these practices can be challenging for farmers due to the need for new equipment and potential initial yield drops
• Cornell is supporting this transition through extension work, with the Soil Health Program conducting research to help farmers understand and improve soil health
• Matt Ryan and Janice Dugney from Cornell are notably involved in these efforts, providing valuable research and on-the-ground training to aid farmers
• Irene Weiser: Do you know if it's state or federal law providing incentives and funding for these agricultural practices, given the delay in yield improvements?
• Allison: Funding is available from both federal sources like NRCS and the New York State Climate Resilient Farm Program – provides cost-sharing
• The current extension and educational efforts need substantial expansion beyond the 15 farmers currently reached
• Dawn Montanye: In developing adaptation strategies, how much did you consider with the integration of mitigation strategies, given agriculture's reliance on fossil fuels?
• Allison: We were directed to focus primarily on adaptation, not mitigation – made it challenging to highlight the dual benefits of strategies like improving soil health that also reduce emissions
• Despite this, there's a significant opportunity to explore these co-benefits further in future research
• It's important to approach discussions with farmers sensitively, recognizing their challenges and avoiding placing undue blame for climate impacts
• We should focus on protecting farmland and promoting sustainable farming practices to further reduce emissions
• Dave Bradley (chat): Considering the decline of New York's dairy industry, what alternative crops could farmers in the state switch to?
• Allison: Choosing alternative crops would depend on the specifics of each farm
• A dairy farm in Madison County faced flooding issues, leading to the sale of most cows and a shift to selling pasture-raised meat, while keeping a small dairy herd
• They are exploring sustainable practices and possibly diversifying into field crops or grain
• Their transition is supported by their involvement in the climate-smart farming team, emphasizing the need to help dairy and small farms adapt to changing conditions
• Brian Eden mentioned the problem with excluding mitigation from discussions, noting it is unhelpful and ignores the challenges farmers face
• Allison: We're not excluding anyone; we're training 15 dairy farmers on mitigation plans through a USDA project, so it's definitely on the table
• Dave proposed that dairy farmers explore alternative bulk crops like sunflowers or hemp to diversify protein sources and boost profitability
• Allison: Most dairies in NYS grow forages for their cattle, often with guidance from Cornell advisors or paid consultants to optimize cattle feed and reduce methane
• We’re introducing a new crop that can double as cover and feed, supporting sustainable practices like crop rotation and soil health through Cornell's programs
• Bossombra Koffi (chat): What strategies are available for farmers to cope with the short-term drought?
• Allison: We have strategies to help manage short-term drought, including selecting drought-tolerant crop varieties and using practices such as cover crops or no-till to retain moisture
• For crops like berries and tree fruits, it's important to use efficient irrigation systems to avoid wasting water and ensure it's used effectively
• There’s a good tool, the US Drought Monitor. It can be found at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

 

TCCPI and the Current State Legislative Session – Brian Eden and Peter Bardaglio

Following up on AM Kelles’ review of the key climate and clean energy bills at last month’s meeting, Brian and Peter facilitated a discussion of how TCCPI could help secure approval for this legislation

• Peter: Kelles gave an impressive presentation, on several key legislative acts including the Fashion Act, Climate Superfund Act, Just Transition Act, and the Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act
• She discussed how the Fashion Act aims to improve transparency in the fashion industry's global supply chain and hold it accountable, similar to the oil and gas industry
• She highlighted the need for legislation that holds companies accountable for both current and historical environmental damages, through the Climate Superfund
• She also emphasized the importance of moving away from investing in natural gas infrastructure and eliminating substantial subsidies to fossil fuel industries
• Brian: Kelles strongly supports the Business Packaging Reduction Infrastructure Act, stressing plastic's environmental and health impacts
• She addressed challenges from the American Chemistry Council's lobbying, expressing resolve to overcome them with diligent weekly efforts
• In addition, Kelles aims to shift from discussion to activism, recognizing remote advocacy challenges and proposing direct engagement in Albany for legislative progress
• Peter mentioned attending a meeting to improve the bottle bill, noting challenges faced by participants traveling to Albany and the importance of in-person advocacy
• Tom Hirasuna: People can get involved locally right away because there are existing coalitions for the mentioned bills
• Brian: We're all part of small groups, but we're not uniting effectively for change
• Historically, larger coalitions had hundreds of people advocating together, which had a bigger impact
• Peter highlighted the significance of gathering people face-to-face, emphasizing its impact on legislators
• Brian: It's essential to engage with youth to build the future movement effectively
• Irene: Unfortunately, my capacity for Albany trips has declined over the years, despite past efforts organizing buses with strong financial backing
• Instead, I propose a local focus on initiatives like the Green New Deal
• We could convene on Earth Day at Stewart Park to unite various environmental and sustainability groups and brainstorm community mobilization strategies
• Guillermo Metz: While many groups are already engaged, organizing in person around specific topics would be beneficial
• We have an Earth Day event planned on the commons and see value in supporting your efforts. Let us know how we can help
• Brian: It's crucial to engage with Cornell, considering their presence and potential impact
• We recently had five resolutions passed through the board and adopted by the county legislature, mostly advocating for statewide issues
• Maintaining community involvement is essential for implementing policies like the Ithaca Green New Deal, which has proven to be financially positive for the city
• Supporting the sustainability director's work is vital for achieving these goals

January 2024

2024 TCCPI Priorities – All

The steering committee has proposed the following priorities for 2024:

• Advocate for state climate and clean energy policies
• Strengthen climate resilience
• Support the Ithaca Green New Deal
• Work on improving equitable multimodal transportation options
• Continue to grow the 2030 District

The group discussed these recommendations and shared thoughts about how to move forward.

• Steering committee is hoping these priorities provide a framework to guide our work and discussions for the coming year
• The turn toward advocacy for state climate and clean energy policies represents a new direction for TCCPI
• Peter has been spending a lot of time on this activity – as soon as last session ends, organizing for the new one begins, but it really picks up in December in anticipation of the new session opening in early January
• Meeting on regular basis with coalitions that TCCPI is involved with: NY Renews, Renewable Heat Now, Climate Can’t Wait, etc. – also, beginning in January lots of virtual lobby meetings with individual legislators in Albany and engagement in social media campaigns
• Important that TCCPI be involved in this work as effort to implement 2019 climate law and recommendations of Climate Action Council
• Peter asked Dominic Frongillo to talk about his work with Elected Officials to Protect America, where he serves as co-founder and executive director
• Dominic: Working in NY on Climate Change Superfund Act, which would require fossil fuel companies to pay for climate damage inflicted on NY and strengthen climate resiliency in local communities
• Right now taxpayers on hook for covering cost of this damage and upgrading infrastructure
• Comptroller survey reveal that 55% of local municipal expenditures related to fixing climate damage and strengthening climate resilience
• Have been organizing letter from 100 local elected officials in support of Climate Change Superfund Act and calling on Governor Hochul to include it in her executive budget
• Activity includes press conference in Albany, media interviews, and op-eds
• Peter: Basic principle involved: you make a mess; you clean it up – state just getting hammered with these extreme weather events
• About time fossil fuel industry held accountable for this damage – also especially important in context of state projecting $4 billion budget deficit this y ear – way to help close budget gap
• Brian Eden has also been involved in this effort – group meets weekly on Zoom
• Brian: We used to have to travel to Albany to meet with people there -- now lot easier with Zoom but we still need to get people to Albany to show our strength
• Whole bunch of opportunities coming up for folks to be in Albany – if you haven’t done this before, not as difficult as you might imagine – nothing beats being there in person
• NY Renews legislative package this year includes Climate Superfund – other two bills include NY HEAT Act and Just Energy Transition Act
• Latter aimed at developing plan for closing of fossil-fuel power plants and focuses on frontline communities affected by emissions from these nearby plants
• Brian: We need to find ways to pay for cleaning up these communities if we’re going to transition to better future
• Governor included in her budget one of main pieces of NY HEAT Act, ending the so-called “100-foot rule” under which rate payers picked up tab for new gas connections
• Now developers have to cover this cost, which should slow down expansion of gas infrastructure and encourage them to install heat pumps instead
• Peter reminded group that because events in Albany move so fast now he has agreement with steering committee that he’ll be signing TCCPI on to any organizational letters circulating that are climate-related
• So much going on and it’s critical that we join with other organizations to back these very important bills
• Peter keeps track of these sign-ons and other advocacy activities and shares that list with steering committee each month
• Second priority is to focus on strengthening climate resilience of our communities – as example, just recently city received significant funding from FEMA for flood mitigation
• Outside of Ithaca municipalities are working to deepen and expand ditches and culverts in response to increase in extreme precipitation events
• Tom Hirasuna: Almost everything we do now is connected to climate resilience – as part of Climate Reality – Finger Lakes, we’re working with other chapters across state on climate resilience and other issues
• At federal level, our work focused on Farm Bill, trying to protect provisions related to small and medium-sized farms
• Peter: Development of local food network another example of climate resilience – smaller farms much more sustainable way to move forward than large industrial farms that predominate now
• Ingrid Zabel: In very early stages, but PRI starting to think about how its facilities, including Cayuga Nature Center and Museum of the Earth, could serve as resilience hub in extreme weather event – for example, museum could be cooling center during heat wave for West Hill
• Talking with Rebecca Brenner at Cornell – expert in disaster preparedness – she organized meeting with PRI and Southside Community Center to see how two organizations could collaborate on this effort
• Working with Rebecca’s students in two of her courses this semester to start thinking this through
• Dave Bradley: Need to do much better job at generating renewable electricity – in spite of fact that NY provides some of largest subsidies in nation, progress has been very slow – nowhere near meeting CLCPA goals
• Wind power projects, in particular, have run into lots of obstacles – could cut costs of offshore wind in half by moving them closer to shore off coast and in Great Lakes but lots of opposition to doing so
• Brian: Working with Beyond Plastics and NY Is Not Disposable to cut down on use of plastics, which has expanded tremendously in recent years – fossil fuel industry looking for ways to take up its extra capacity
• Package Reduction Act aimed at lessening use of plastic Sen. Harckham & AM Glick making this top priority in current session
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) seeks to shift cost of disposing or recycling plastic to companies that produce it – a lot of municipalities losing money on recycling
• Dominic: Recent report from Brown University found that $72 million from fossil-fuel related dark money groups has been funneled into disinformation campaigns and astroturf groups to opposed offshore wind projects
• Support for IGND third proposed priority for 2024 – great that Rebecca Evans has been able to bring another staff member on board, Savannah Vega, to help roll out some of initiatives they’ve been discussing, including incorporating equity with Justice50
• Rebecca has persuaded City to bring 10 more buildings into Ithaca 2030 District: four fire stations, police station, Youth Bureau, GIAC, and main offices of Water & Sewer and Streets & Facilities – over 320,000 sq. ft. – brings district total to over 900,000 sq. ft.
• One way Ithaca 2030 District will be supporting IGND going forward
• Fourth priority is supporting development of equitable multimodal transportation options
• Dawn Montanye: One of top priorities in this area is reduction of car dependency – have to do more than just turn to EVs
• Need to drive less and choosing shared transportation options, looking to enhance transit – need to build up system now and shift transportation lens – more dedicated bus and bike lanes
• Also need to take into account land use planning and housing to improve access to public and shared transportation
• Lifestyle changes need to be encouraged, too
• Fernando de Aragón: Reducing extreme dependency on automobiles crucial – 60% of our trips are only 2-3 miles long – tremendous potential to use bikes more
• We have good transit system that needs strengthening – Bikeshare in place and doing well – doing everything possible to bring Carshare back this spring
• ITCTC will be developing long-range transportation plan over next year – will be opportunity to provide input
• Dawn: Also Transportation Equity Coalition wrapping up its transportation equity needs assessment – what are needs and barriers to providing people access?
• Peter: Not just question of developing effective multimodal transportation system, but also about making it more equitable
• Addition of ten new city buildings addresses our fifth priority, to continue growing district – we’ll also continue building the performance dashboards and working with property members to improve energy and water performance of their buildings, and sharing ways they can reduce their carbon footprint
• Also four of our buildings took advantage of NYSEG gas kicker program to install heat pumps and move off natural gas for heating and cooling

NYS Climate and Clean Energy Legislation: Prospects and Challenges – Anna Kelles

Assemblymember Anna Kelles represents the 125th District, including Cortland and Tompkins Counties. She has been an outstanding champion for climate and clean energy issues. She shared her perspective on the new legislative session and the possibilities for progress on these fronts.

• Conversation with Anna took place while she was on plane waiting to fly to DC to speak at screening of documentary “Fashion Reimagined”
• Focusing today on Fashion Act, Climate Superfund Act, NY HEAT Act, Just Transition Act, and Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act
• Sustainability and Social Accountability Fashion Act is Anna’s bill – not part of package
• Everybody wears clothes but right now you couldn’t be socially responsible even if you wanted to
• Every part of global supply chain needs to be transparent and there needs to be accountability
• Act would require all brands with gross revenue of $100 million or more that want access to NYS market must comply with state regulations
• All brands would have to map out their entire supply chain and measure GHG emissions through supply chain and impacts on water quality
• Also labor provisions regarding prevailing wages, unions, and child labor
• All of tools required to track metrics already in existence and used by industries – not reinventing any wheels with this legislation
• Have to demonstrate they’re making substantive improvements in these areas or else they’re subject to fines up to 2% of their gross global income – that creates fund that can be used to offset negative impacts
• European Union taking steps to regulate this global industry – has never been regulated before – only major industry that isn’t – responsible for up to 8% of all GHG emissions
• Second highest industry in use of child labor and fifth highest in use of slave labor
• Want to make sure brands don’t just pass costs of complying with new regulations on to manufacturers
• Can find out more about bill at org
• Anna concerned that cap-and-invest will turn into cap-and-trade – pre-proposal open for public comment looks like cap-trade-and-invest (CTI)
• Puts lot of emphasis on secondary market of trading allowances – allows nonobligated entities to buy allowances at public auctions – also allows obligated entities to buy up to 25% of allowances available at any auction, which could be sold in secondary market
• Has now introduced bill that outlines program of just cap-and-invest – meant to be counterpoint to pre-proposal
• Some, including governor, are arguing that polluters already being held accountable under cap-trade-and-invest – climate superfund a kind of double dipping – creates another fee for same polluters
• Climate Superfund focuses on which companies were biggest polluters from 2000 to 2018 and damage they did then – retroactive
• Will assess one-time fee and use those dollars to build infrastructure specifically for adaptation – can pay fee in 24 annual payments
• CTI is forward looking, not retroactive – forces companies to pay for GHGs they’re continuing to emit – faster they transition to clean energy, fewer allowances they’ll have to buy
• CTI makes exceptions for energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries but doesn’t put in place guardrails for these entities – provides allowances for free so companies not forced to move out of state
• Not only are these allowances provided for free but there’s no documentation required and there is no claw-back mechanism
• We also need to stop investing in natural gas infrastructure – aim of Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act seeks to end $336 million of $1.6 billion state provides annually in tax subsidies, grants, and like
• Complementary to Climate Superfund – in both cases fossil fuel polluters held accountable – can’t continue subsidize very industries that are generating pollution that is cause of climate damage
• NY HEAT Act takes on another way in which we’ve been subsidizing the fossil fuel industry: the PSC rule that says any building constructed within 100 feet of road can get free hook-up to the main gas line courtesy of ratepayers
• Encourages expansion of natural gas infrastructure – amounts to $200 million annually
• Bill would end this practice and also hold utility costs of LMI households to 6% of their income
• Just Transition Act requires PSC and NYSERDA to carry out study of how to best convert closed fossil-fuel power plants to renewable energy infrastructure
• Plan has strong labor protections and would be subject to extensive public hearings across state

Q&A

• Martha Robertson: Where should we focus our efforts? A lot to take in and act on
• Anna: Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package includes most of these bills – NY Renews coalition consisting of more than 100 organizations (including TCCPI) is pushing for passage of the package
• Fashion Act is Anna’s top priority but she’s very involved in supporting the other bills – is working to educate other legislators about them, how they fit together, and why they’re important
• Need to listen to what opposition is saying about why we can’t do something and then figure out messaging to counter the arguments
• Needs support of TCCPI to identify why we’re being told no, and then to pivot with counterargument – as climate leaders, we need to get better at this
• Dominic Frongillo: We have 100 elected officials signed on in support of Climate Superfund and would love to coordinate with you
• Anna: Please get in touch with my legislative team to set up meeting
• Martha: Where is Speaker Heastie on these bills?
• Anna: He’s very thoughtful about environment -- Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus has about 77 members and Heastie pays close attention to where they stand on issues – also Upstate Caucus has about 75 members
• Important to have champions in both groups to be effective
• Peter asked Anna to talk about work she and Sen. Lea Webb are doing together on Cayuga salt mine
• Anna: Needs to pass quickly to make sure it is in place before any sale of mine goes through
• Bell Station one of most effective campaigns seen in Albany because it was sharply focused and had very clear message
• Just want transparency and accountability in situation with salt mine – letter writing campaign and coordinated calls to governor over next couple of weeks best way to achieve this
• Should be our community’s top priority – current situation holding Cargill liable for only $3 million in damages unacceptable
• Asking for independent evaluation about what Cargill should be required to pay if there is mining catastrophe there
• Protecting our environment and natural resources fundamental to responsibilities of legislature
• Environment fundamental to everything we are – it’s our habitat – we are either parasites or stewards: we have a choice
• Messaging is critical – we have to get savvier at this – industry devotes lots of resources and has become very effective at opposing and neutralizing anything that affects their profits
• This is why it’s so important that every single person in environmental movement feels empowered to take credit for victories we achieve – that it was their accomplishment – and that we take the time to make sure this happens before moving on to next thing
• Big corporations need to tear down these wins and neutralize them – they’ve already won in red states and don’t have to worry about them – they’re focused on stopping wins in blue states like NY and CA
• Need to foster sense of personal pride among people in environmental movement in victories we’ve achieved and not let them get torn down by oil and gas companies – we have to celebrate and protect what we’ve already won and stay vigilant
• When people feel empowered they engage – when they feel hopeless, they disengage