Action Will Improve Local Air Quality and Reduce Noise Pollution, Waste From Construction to Support Climate and Health Goals
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed Clean Construction Executive Order 23, which requires the city’s capital project agencies to commit to actions that will lower embodied carbon — greenhouse gas emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials — from municipal construction projects. The actions taken by EO 23 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and noise pollution citywide. They will also ensure that any construction funded by new federal infrastructure and climate bill funding will use sustainable materials, equipment, and practices.
“As extreme weather intensifies, it is clear that we are in the midst of a climate crisis in this city and across the world,” said Mayor Adams. “My administration is committed to delivering New Yorkers a future free of these chronic threats, and, with construction being responsible for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that we use every tool in our toolbox to lower embodied carbon. This executive order is a massive stride towards doing just that and giving all of us a more breathable, livable home.”
“The city is leading by example by reducing the use of the most carbon-intensive materials in our construction,” said Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi. “With a new approach to how the city builds, today’s executive order will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve neighborhood air quality.”
“New York City has been at the forefront of environmental and sustainable construction practices, and our agencies have been piloting many different carbon reduction initiatives in support of our 80x50 goal,” said Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “Expanding these clean construction initiatives citywide will help to further reduce our contributions to climate change.”
“We are thrilled that Mayor Adams has signed this executive order — a major step to reduce the air and noise pollution of construction in our city,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzman. “New York City needs to keep growing, but we must also continue to lead by example to address the climate crisis. That’s why we are committing to reduce the carbon impact of city construction projects and drive the market towards cleaner construction machinery. This executive order will reduce the environmental impact of our $16 billion average annual city capital project spending and provide much-needed impact data on the city buildings completed each year.”
“DDC is one of the leading agencies for addressing climate change, and the construction industry itself is a significant source of emissions that we can help manage,” said New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. “We’re reviewing our specifications to reduce the embedded carbon in the concrete that we use, and we’re going to require our suppliers to disclose the environmental effects of their steel and concrete manufacturing processes so we can work with them on ways to adjust it downward. We’re also going to review emissions from engines and other motorized equipment at our sites and determine where we can electrify. Climate change is a major challenge., and modifying construction techniques and materials is another important component of the city’s comprehensive effort to address it.”
“Mayor Adams is setting an example for other cities to follow on how to confront climate change,” said New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich. “By raising our standards on building practices for city projects, every new capital development will contribute to a more resilient and sustainable New York City.”
“This executive order is a significant step forward as we work to ensure that New York City buildings and infrastructure are high-performing from the ground up,” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn Pinnock. “We are striving towards a transformative climate goal of reducing emissions from city government operations 40 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030. We all have a critical role to play in preserving our environment, and improving the impacts of construction activity can be the cornerstone of building a greener New York."
“We are excited to already be doing our part in support of this ambitious initiative by this administration to decrease the greenhouse gas footprint of our capital construction projects,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This initiative aligns with our energy management and conservation, and in our sustainability efforts — from contractors reducing their carbon emissions through sustainable vehicles and equipment use to our slag specs — we are always looking for ways to innovate in this space.”
“New York City government has taken a lead-by-example approach to the climate crisis,” said DCAS Deputy Commissioner for Energy Management and Chief Decarbonization Officer Anthony Fiore. “We are reducing emissions from government operations further and faster than the private sector to pave the way to deep, economy-wide carbon reductions. And fortunately, what happens in New York City does not stay in New York City. As a global leader on climate, our work has a multiplier effect as other municipalities around the world replicate the actions we take here. This executive order expands the city’s multiplier effect and leverages its purchasing power to drive deep decarbonization further and wider to ensure suppliers, contractors, manufacturers, and others that do business with the city reduce their own emissions.”
Construction is responsible for an estimated 23 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with large portions of those emissions coming from carbon emissions from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials, especially concrete, iron, and steel. Construction equipment that burns fossil fuels also emits pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, which endanger residents’ health and the surrounding environment.
EO 23 directs agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the embodied carbon of building materials and construction equipment through:
- Low-carbon concrete specifications: Capital project agencies will set specifications for low-carbon concrete for concrete used in capital projects to directly reduce the environmental impact of construction.
- Environmental product declarations: Capital project agencies will submit environmental product declarations for structural steel and concrete, in order to quantify the environmental impact of these materials in city work.
- Low-emission vehicles and equipment: Capital project agencies will include specifications in capital project construction contracts for low-emission vehicles and equipment, with a preference for all-electric equipment to reduce air and noise pollution.
- Life cycle assessments: Capital project agencies shall complete a Life Cycle Assessment for applicable projects to quantify the environmental impact of the whole project and reduce the impact where possible.
New York City is committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 and reaching the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement, and the actions required by today’s EO will help protect the planet, fellow human beings, and future generations. New York City is also demonstrating climate leadership by promoting the market development and uptake of low-embodied carbon and clean construction strategies through the incorporation of these principles into publicly funded projects.
The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice will also incorporate milestones into the city’s long-term strategic sustainability plan, to be released on Earth Day 2023.
