Редакция Buffalo News призвала к решительным мерам по защите окружающей среды и борьбе с изменением климата

Our thoughts on Buffalo's environment and climate change | The Editorial Board weighs in The Buffalo News Editorial Board often addresses Western New York's natural environment, including longtime pollution issues and new threats from climate change. Here's what we have to say: (25) updates to this series since There was never any consensus on whether the areas surrounding Love Canal were suitable for resettlement. When those decisions were made, they emerged from a cacophony of conflicting opinions. No one wants to go on the record saying as much, but this is shaping up to be yet another grim chapter in the Niagara region's saga of toxic environmental contamination. The Editorial Board: Langworthy and others should know better than to threaten Canada over wildfires Canada has enormous areas of remote forest that are highly vulnerable in an increasingly drier and hotter climate. The size and intensity of the wildfires have increased as the atmosphere warms. While it is important to make sure data is properly gathered and assessed – which takes time – the DEC and EPA should also keep in mind that they are dealing with peoples’ lives. New pollution issues exist on Cayuga Island and elsewhere. If remediation and punitive measures are called for, there should be no hesitation. Niagara Falls has had enough of that. Before the debate gets any louder, a pause on new data center development in New York State could lower the temperature and get a better deal … Plastic and PFAS pollution is making us sick and ruining the waterways that sustain us. New York should demonstrate its environmental leadership as well as its responsibility for protecting residents’ health by passing the plastics and PFAS bills this year. Rather than doubling down on clean energy and putting a framework in place that will actually enforce the law, it looks like New York is tapping the brakes. The comeback of the Buffalo River continues to impress and inspire. It’s a story made possible by generations of restoration work, from the activists who first raised the alarm in the ‘70s to the decades of environmental remediation overseen by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and its partners. Whatever happens to New York’s timeline, it remains a fact that moving quickly on green energy production reduces dependence on fossil fuels, lessens air pollution and, ultimately, saves residents money. That’s the prize New York must keep its eye on. Litter. It’s a bad look for any city and Buffalo suffers from too much of it. Across the city, many streets – in residential and commercial neighborhoods alike – seem to be inhabited by people who have long forgotten how to use a trash can. Delaying essential action to reach New York’s climate goals may have the backing of the fossil fuel industry and many state business groups, but is strongly opposed by Democrats in both houses of the Legislature. Rather than straining the resources of the North Campus’ infrastructure for its cooling needs, UB’s supercomputing center – which is the hub of New York State’s Empire AI consortium – will use the heat generated by the computers to help power a campus-wide geothermal heating system. One thing is certain: If affordability and emission reduction are the important goals, renewable energy is cheaper than energy derived from fossil fuels. Tesla eyes renewed solar panel production in Buffalo as Western New York Land Conservancy seeks $900,000 to create 311-acre Bear Lake Preserve in Chautauqua County. The money for tree planting, better sewer infrastructure, lead paint removal and other initiatives that could go a long way in making Buffalo a healthier place doesn’t have to come from city coffers. Unfortunately, on air pollution and emission reduction, Hochul has been slower to push for the regulation and resources required by New York’s climate law. Land conserved for wildlife corridors, federal purchase aids grape farmers and food programs, and Allegany County families gain relief as donations erase overwhelming medical debt. Buffalo Waterkeeper is once again demonstrating its care for the health of our area waterways. The hope is that an ever-more-turbulent Lake Erie can be kept in check with sustainable infrastructure that does much more than simply attempt to block water. Gov. Hochul should back a Bigger Bottle Bill expanding deposits, doubling returns, supporting redemption centers, cutting litter, saving taxpayers, and modernizing New York’s recycling system. Remember that STAMP is located adjacent to the homelands of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, as well as quite near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Remember that this will not be a job engine – after construction is over, there will be about 120 full-time jobs. It's a measly amount for such a huge, energy-devouring footprint. When consumers say that their switch to clean energy has lowered their utility costs and PR firms for business groups and fuel companies are insisting the opposite, it should be kept in mind who has the most to gain. These are the times that try the resolve of states like New York. State governments that prioritize lifting up the poor, providing decent heal… The question that the News posed and one that readers should also be asking: How can state oversight be improved on these and other environmental safety issues to prevent future disasters, as well as ongoing and insidious damage to public health?