Opinion: BQGreen Plan Shows Why New York Must Adopt the People’s Climate Justice Budget
The climate crisis is no longer an abstract concept but an urgent call for action. Tropical storms such as Ida and Ophelia have become a devastating annual occurrence. Wildfires across the continent have found their way to New York in the form of toxic orange skies. As we confront the unprecedented challenges posed by climate change, communities are stepping up to address these issues at the local level.
One grassroots initiative making waves in New York City is the BQGreen project, a transformative effort aimed at turning the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) into an ecologically and socially productive space. The visionary project would entail the decking of the BQE trench section in order to offset the historic environmental harms. The project not only embodies the power of community-led solutions but also aligns with broader, statewide efforts to combat the climate crisis through centering environmental justice.
— By Maritza Davila and Rami Dinnawi