New York City

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Cloudy with a chance of smoke: what air quality scares have taught us about climate justice

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Cloudy with a chance of smoke: what air quality scares have taught us about climate justice

On Wednesday, June 7, New York City recorded the worst air quality in the world, CNBC reported. According to the Guardian, at a reported 195 micrograms per cubic meter made up of small particulate matter, the sky had turned from a “milky white” to a harsh orange color. The number of particles far exceeded normal levels based on the city’s national air quality standard, which is typically around 12 to 35 micrograms of small particulate matter, as stated by New York City’s Environmental and Health Data Portal. 

North Brooklyn Pipeline raises environmental justice concerns

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is the process used to remove natural gas from shale rock. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that special technology must be used because natural gas is “highly dispersed in the rock” rather than concentrated like oil. Natural gas can then be transferred by land through methods like pipelines, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Currently, in Brooklyn, New York, there is a dispute over a National Grid pipeline that originally began construction in 2017, according to The Guardian. The fracked gas pipeline is officially called the Metropolitan Reliability Infrastructure and is more commonly referred to as the North Brooklyn Pipeline. The pipeline’s existence has been questioned on the basis of climate change and environmental justice concerns.

New York City Board of Health declares racism a public health crisis

New York City Board of Health declares racism a public health crisis

The New York City Board of Health and Mental Hygiene passed a resolution as of Monday last week declaring racism a public health crisis. The step was taken six months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared racism a serious health threat, a fact which became more apparent over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The resolution, passed on Oct. 18, went into effect immediately.

Climate Clock in NYC: The Next Seven Years Could Decide Our Future

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

by Dnyaneshwari Haware ’23

Staff Writer

“The Earth has a deadline” followed by the numeric “7:103:15:40:07” can now be seen flashing a rhythmic countdown on the glass exterior of One Union Square South on 14th Street in New York City. The clock currently reads that there are seven years, 103 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes and seven seconds left to prevent irreversible damage to the environment. 

The idea of the end of the world is not restricted to sci-fi books and films anymore, but many refuse to accept this reality. The Metronome, a public art project that has been in existence for more than 20 years, has now been turned into the Climate Clock, a graphic displaying the amount of time remaining for us to take significant action toward saving our planet. The transformation of the 62-foot-wide 15-digit electronic clock into a climate clock was done by artists Andrew Boyd and Gan Golan and commissioned by the Related Companies in collaboration with the Public Art Fund and the Municipal Art Society. The clock shows we only have seven years whereas many corporations, governments and international organizations such as the U.N. have pledged to adapt sustainability and development goals to alter their environment-degrading activities by 2030. y 

On a YouTube talk show hosted by comedian Ted Alexandro, Boyd said, “It’s a very harsh timeline to reckon with. There’s different ways to slice the numbers and if we can get to net zero carbon in that amount of time, that gives us a 67 percent chance of staying under the red line that scientists are telling us we really shouldn’t cross of 1.5 degrees centigrade warmer.” 

The artists reject the idea that this is a doomsday clock. “It is showing our time window for action,” Goland said. “This is the best period of time we have to really make a difference.”

The installation has been praised but also criticized for its focus on individuals rather than the corporations that are responsible for the majority of environmental degradation causing climate change. Either way, the Metronome clock has been given a new life, one that dismisses any arguments against the existence of climate change and its importance. It is now viewed not only by passersby but people around the world.

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