Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“It’s time to think outside the box and determine how we can handle the crisis before it’s too late,” Mayor Adams said.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced the appointments of his climate leadership team that will focus on environmental protection and environmental justice across New York City.
Adams appointed Rohit Aggarwala as chief climate officer and commissioner of the City Department of Environmental Protection, Howard Beach resident Vincent Sapienza as chief operations officer of DEP, and Kizzy Charles-Guzman as executive director of the new Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice—which consolidates multiple city agencies into one. Adams highlighted these accomplished environmentalists’ proven track record of promoting cleaner air, advancing climate resiliency, and protecting New Yorkers.
Both Sapienza and Charles-Guzman will report to Aggarwala in his role as chief climate officer.
According to the administration, the MOCEJ will fulfill Adams’ key commitments to climate sustainability, environmental justice, and resiliency including:
- Installing 100 megawatts of solar on schools, libraries, community centers, and other public buildings;
- Expanding citywide resiliency projects and infrastructure;
- Breaking ground on a massive clean energy complex at Wards Island Water Resource Recovery Facility; and
- Completing New York City’s first comprehensive study of environmental justice.
“It is evident to anyone who opens their eyes that we are in the midst of a climate crisis in this city and around the world, so it’s time to think outside the box and determine how we can handle the crisis before it’s too late,” Adams said. “This past year alone, we have experienced extreme weather anomalies and rising sea levels, which have endangered New Yorkers’ lives, their homes, and their livelihoods. The remnants of these different calamities are still being repaired to this day, but my administration is committed to transforming the city’s quality of life and fighting for environmental justice for all New Yorkers, and this team is exactly who will get the job done for New Yorkers.”
The new office will consolidate the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency and the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, as well as incorporate the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination and the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation. This new, streamlined office will provide an integrated approach to climate leadership by uniting four offices that had independently addressed remediation, resiliency, sustainability and environmental justice, and environmental review.
“I applaud Mayor Adams for having the forward vision to streamline the named agencies so that there can be a coalesced plan to make our city more sustainable and resilient,” said City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park). “The areas I represent in District 32 are experiencing more frequent flooding from rising tides and were devastated by Hurricane’s Sandy and Ida. As a member of the New York City Council’s Resiliency and Waterways Committee, I look forward to working with the mayor, and his newly appointed team, when implementing the plan to expand citywide resiliency projects and infrastructure. These measures will strengthen our defense against future hurricanes and rising tides, so we will never suffer that kind of devastation again. I would like to congratulate all the appointees, especially Vincent Sapienza, who I’ve had the honor of working with in the past.”
