Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, in his bid to be the next governor of New York, pledged for a more climate resilient city at a town hall in the East Village last week.
The event, held at the Church of the Village, and titled, “New York Stands up to Trump on Climate Town Hall,” coincided with the U.N. General Assembly and Climate Week.
A number of New York-based, civic and environmental organizations, including Fridays for Future NYC, the Sunrise Movement, NY Communities for Change, and Third Act, attended the gathering to advocate for a greener city, and protest the current climate policies of President Donald Trump and Governor Kathy Hochul.
“We’re here to demand a future where New York stands up to Trump, to fossil fuel billionaires who put our future, our communities, our livelihoods and affordability, over continued profits for fossil fuel,” said Keanu Arpels-Josiah, the organizer of Fridays for Future’s New York chapter, in his opening remarks.
The event included panels on pipelines and climate, and a rapid-fire Q&A with Delgado, who told the audience he was committed to halting the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project that’s supported by the Trump administration. The proposed plan would expand a gas pipeline from Pennsylvania into New York City, but Delgado emphasized a need to invest in renewable energy instead. He added that public transit and housing needed to be more reliable and affordable. He touted a proposed New York Heat Act that would help the state transition to cleaner energy.
But a critique of the Trump administration didn’t stop with the environment.
Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, said a rise in authoritarian tactics have led to a disregard for other people.
“As we see the rise of fascism, as we see our neighbors getting grabbed on the streets, as we see our institutions falling, those things are deeply connected to the climate crisis and deeply connected to the fossil fuel industry,” she said, adding that fossil fuel leaders “have decided to burn down our country for the sake of their life.”
Shiney-Ajay emphasized the need to fight back at this moment and advocate for a better future, adding that the strategy would “relentlessly build the type of power to stop Donald Trump.”
Hochul, too, came under fire as civic and environmental activists accused her of supporting Trump policies.
The church was covered with protest posters including some that said, “Hochul! Pick a side, New York or Trump?” and “Hochul protect NYC, not Trump’s pipelines.”
The governor didn’t attend the town hall, though she was invited, said Arpels-Josiah. During a break, he shared a phone number for Hochul on a screen, instructing the audience to leave messages demanding an end to the NESE project and support of renewables instead.
Delgado, who’s running against Hochul as a Democrat, said that climate is a “larger fight that is about justice, that is about fairness, and that is about fundamentally doing the right thing.”