NEW YORK (Sputnik) — New York City is falling behind in the attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office stated in a report released on Thursday.
"The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has failed to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in municipal buildings and is not properly tracking the City’s efforts to conserve energy in city buildings," the report stated.
In 2007, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan to cut GHG emissions from city-owned buildings by 30 percent by 2017.
According to the Comptroller’s Office, however, the city has only lowered emissions by 17 percent and is not on track to reach its goal.
The main reason, according to Stringer, is the inability of the DCAS to properly track emissions from various buildings throughout the city.
"By failing to set and meet its own standards, or consistently track GHG reductions in city buildings, DCAS has become a poster child for ineffectiveness, rather than a role model for sustainability," he explained.
Good data leads to good policy, he argued, "and right now the City is far from achieving that standard."
Stinger’s office has called on the DCAS to document how it will track GHG emission reductions, and show how the data it provides to the city will be computed.
DCAS manages more than 50 public buildings across New York City, including City Hall and the Manhattan Supreme Court House, according to the DCAS website.
