Communities across New York State are at risk of more severe impacts from increased heat due to climate change. Infrastructure traps and stores heat throughout the day and reduces cooling at night, which is known as the urban heat island effect. This effect can exacerbate the dangers of extreme heat events. [Read more…] about New Heat Island Mapping Tools Now Available
Climate Change
A Buffalo Sociologist, Brooklyn Saxophonist Named MacArthur Fellows
The MacArthur Fellowship is a $800,000, no-strings-attached award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential.
Among the 20 individuals to receive a MacArthur Award in 2026 are just two from New York State, Buffalo Sociologist and Energy Policy Researcher Holly Jean Buck and Brooklyn Saxophonist and Composer Immanuel Wilkins. [Read more…] about A Buffalo Sociologist, Brooklyn Saxophonist Named MacArthur Fellows
The Winter Outlook & An El Nino Update
New York State is facing a historic “Super El Niño” for the upcoming 2026–2027 winter season, with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center placing the odds of a very strong event lasting through winter at over 90%.
This rare atmospheric pattern is shaping-up to be one of the most intense on record and indicates that winter in New York will likely feature milder overall temperatures, reduced total seasonal snowfall, and an elevated risk for large coastal storms. [Read more…] about The Winter Outlook & An El Nino Update
Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
The fisher, once all but extinct in the Adirondacks, has now firmly re-established itself here. According to John Davis, an Essex County writer and activist affiliated with the New Mexico-based Rewilding Institute, the fisher is “a rewilding success story.” [Read more…] about Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
Balcony Solar Plug-in Power Awaits NY Governor Hochul’s Signature
Back on May 28, 2026 the New York State Legislature passed the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act (A.9111C/S.8512C), which would remove red tape and legalize “balcony solar,” the small, plug-in solar panels that everyday families can use to lower their energy bills and generate renewable energy.
After two months, the bill is still awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul‘s signature. [Read more…] about Balcony Solar Plug-in Power Awaits NY Governor Hochul’s Signature
New York Air Unhealthy Amid Extreme Heat, Canadian Wildfires
Air quality is “unhealthy” in much of New York as massive plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada drift across the region causing a visible haze, reduced visibility, and a smell of smoke.
All New Yorkers should limit time spent outside and keep windows and doors closed to prevent smoke from entering your home. [Read more…] about New York Air Unhealthy Amid Extreme Heat, Canadian Wildfires
Adirondack Project To Reconnect 43 Miles of Brook Trout Waters
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Trout Unlimited (TU) have announced a multi-phase aquatic re-connection project is underway in the Moose River Plains Complex, in the Adirondack Park in Herkimer and Hamilton counties.
The project, which began in June, is expected to replace more than 50 culverts in the next three to five years and reconnect 43 miles of brook trout waters. [Read more…] about Adirondack Project To Reconnect 43 Miles of Brook Trout Waters
Empire State Trail Report Offers Insights Across New York State
The Empire State Trail is a 750-mile multi-use trail spanning New York State, making it the longest single-state multi-use trail in the United States. Completed in December 2020, the network connects New York City to the Canadian border and Buffalo to Albany, creating a continuous route for bicyclists, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
A landmark 2026 study commissioned by Parks & Trails New York found that the trail generates $1.87 billion in annual economic output, supports 9,680 jobs, produces $640.9 million in employee earnings, and generates $206 million in state and local tax revenue. [Read more…] about Empire State Trail Report Offers Insights Across New York State
New York’s Electric Vehicle Conversion Well Underway
The seemingly inevitable conversion toward electric vehicles is well underway in New York, with 600,000 electric, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and older hybrid electric registered in the state in 2024.
According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the state now has over 323,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids alone registered statewide. To support this accelerating transition, the state is investing nearly $3 billion in zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure, which is also expanding rapidly. [Read more…] about New York’s Electric Vehicle Conversion Well Underway
Clean Ferries Bill Would Transition NY Ferries from Diesel to Electric
The Clean Ferries Bill (A11303/S10381) sponsored by Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon and Senator Brian Kavanagh has been introduced in the New York State Legislature.
The bill calls for publicly funded ferry companies to purchase only zero-emission vessels starting in 2028, and for other public vessels in New York State waters to be zero-emission by 2032. [Read more…] about Clean Ferries Bill Would Transition NY Ferries from Diesel to Electric
Tides of History: Red Hook, Fort Defiance & and Climate Resiliency
Red Hook in Brooklyn is home to Fort Defiance, one of the most overlooked Revolutionary War sites in New York City, and it may also hold a key to the community’s climate resilient future, according to Friends of Fort Defiance and Resilient Red Hook organizers. [Read more…] about Tides of History: Red Hook, Fort Defiance & and Climate Resiliency
Celebrate Amphibian Week With Knowledge, Action
Amphibian Week occurs during the first full week in May and was created to raise awareness about these creatures which are severely threatened and are currently the most threatened vertebrate class globally.
A 2023 global assessment found that 40.7% of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The crisis is driven by habitat loss, pollution, and increasing impacts from climate change, with roughly two in five species at risk. [Read more…] about Celebrate Amphibian Week With Knowledge, Action
Help Document New York Weather Impacts
MyCoast NY is a public web tool which offers an opportunity to contribute and access photos of flooding, shoreline change, and storm damage from anywhere in the state.
When you submit a photo, it is automatically linked to real-time weather, river, and tidal gauge data to help provide context for the photo. [Read more…] about Help Document New York Weather Impacts
A Super Strength El Nino Brewing? Here’s What to Expect
El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, typically returning every two to seven years. It disrupts global weather – and it looks like we may be in for a record El Niño year.
State University at Albany Atmospheric Science Professor Paul Roundy studies how interactions between the tropical ocean and atmosphere influence global weather, including El Niño. [Read more…] about A Super Strength El Nino Brewing? Here’s What to Expect
Here Comes the Sun: Bill McKibben Event Now Online
“The sun travels 93 million miles to reach the earth – but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Bill McKibben told a standing room only audience at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, a telecommunications production facility dedicated to community media arts in North Troy.
His talk, and the conversation that followed moderated by Adirondack Park Agency (APA) board member Benita Law-Diao, is now online here. [Read more…] about Here Comes the Sun: Bill McKibben Event Now Online
New York State Approves K–12 Climate Education Requirement
The New York State Board of Regents has approved a new statewide requirement to integrate climate education across K–12 classrooms.
With the decision, New York becomes only the second state in the nation, following New Jersey, to require comprehensive climate education across all grade levels. [Read more…] about New York State Approves K–12 Climate Education Requirement
High Waters in Spring: Consider Flood Safety Now
Flooding is one of the most common and costly natural disasters in New York State. It can be caused by severe weather such as large rain events, undersized infrastructure, poor stormwater drainage, and snow melt.
Being prepared for flooding is key to staying safe, protecting valuables, and allowing for an easier recovery. Take these steps to stay prepared and safe during a flood: [Read more…] about High Waters in Spring: Consider Flood Safety Now
River Ice: Seeds, Frazil, and Flocs
Mile-long Trout Brook cuts downhill through heavily bouldered glacial moraine. Like any woodland brook, it features waterfalls, cascades, pools, and coves.
By mid-December it is usually frozen over, with audible water running under the ice and snow. Only a mile from my home, I often visit this brook from mid-November until late March to see the splash-enhanced bulbous icicles and frozen foam.
During some recent winters, however, climate change has brought unseasonably warm spells, incomplete ice covers, decreased water levels, and insignificant snowfall, all of which expose ice formations normally unseen. [Read more…] about River Ice: Seeds, Frazil, and Flocs
A New History of Environmental Law
The relationship between humans and the environment in the United States reflects tales of countless contrasting and overlapping trends, movements, and tensions. Law has cultivated both the planet’s biggest environmental threats and its most creative innovations for protecting human and ecological health.
U.S. laws have driven both exploitation and temperance; destruction and restoration; and resistance and adaptation. [Read more…] about A New History of Environmental Law
2025 Progress Towards Planting 25 Million Trees by 2033
Governor Kathy Hochul launched the 25 Million Trees by 2033 initiative during her 2024 State of the State Address to recognize the importance of trees and forests for climate mitigation and community health.
DEC has established an online Tree Tracker, where New Yorkers can record trees they plant. Here are some statistics from the tracker for trees planted in 2025: [Read more…] about 2025 Progress Towards Planting 25 Million Trees by 2033