Op-Ed: This Year’s State Budget Must Prioritize Climate, Jobs, and Justice for New York
By Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas
In a time of rampant economic inequality and environmental injustice, it is easy to feel defeated. Here in Queens and across New York State, however, communities are organizing for a better future. New Yorkers from different backgrounds and with different lived experiences are proving that we can build community, organize, and create a future that reflects our shared values.
Right now, across New York State, communities are advocating for the NY Renews coalition’s Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package (CJJP). The CJJP is a legislative avenue for New York to rapidly address the climate crisis, create a healthier and more equitable state, and prioritize the communities that are most impacted by climate change.
New York’s climate crisis is intimately connected with other forms of injustice: racism, xenophobia, unfettered capitalism, food and housing insecurity, and inadequate, or non-existent, healthcare access. Fossil fuel plants are more likely to exist in low-income communities and communities of color due to intentional decisions made by the industry. Consequently, these same communities have increased rates of asthma, respiratory disorders, and premature death. There are an estimated 5 million deaths each year linked just to temperature change, excluding all other impacts of climate change such as natural disasters, increased disease transmission from deforestation, persistent exposure to pollution, and increased rates of suicide and mental health disorders.