How NYC Parks Fights Climate Change: Cleaning Our Air

Poor air quality is a serious environmental hazard in many urban areas, including New York City. Air pollution from fine particulate matter, ozone (O3 is important in the upper atmosphere but hazardous at ground level), and other gases can contribute to lung and heart diseases, causing serious illness and even death. 

Air pollution also includes the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. The increased levels of these gases in the atmosphere contribute to climate change and additional hazards like extreme weather and sea level rise.

What We’re Doing

We are taking action to reduce our usage of the fossil fuels that cause these emissions and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere where possible. These necessary steps will help combat the most significant effects of climate change.  

Growing and Caring for Plants and Trees

Not only do trees and plants improve air quality by producing oxygen via photosynthesis, their leaf surfaces also absorb gaseous pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone. The U.S. Forest Service estimates New York City's seven million trees remove tons of air pollutants every year! Trees and other plants also pull CO2 out of the atmosphere as they grow, storing it in their stems, leaves, roots, branches, and trunks. By providing shade and blocking wind, trees can also reduce the air conditioning and heating demands of nearby buildings, reducing the emissions associated with power production.  

Our Environment and Planning crew manages and cares for New York City’s 5 million trees, including over 600,000 street trees. In 2019, in partnership with the Natural Areas Conservancy, we released a 25-year plan to care for our city’s 6,800 acres of forested parkland. This plan includes reducing the impact of harmful plant species, growing more native trees, and activating communities around caring for forests. 

Use the NYCTree Map to learn about the ecological benefits
of street trees and park trees in New York City!

Shifting to Renewable Energy

We are also installing technology to produce energy without releasing greenhouse gases. More than 70 percent of Parks’ vehicle fleet, from garbage trucks to lawnmowers to pickups, runs on alternative energy, including electric/hybrid, fully electric, and compressed natural gas (CNG). 

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed on NYC Parks buildings in all five boroughs, including the Citywide Services Complex on Randall’s Island, the Bronx River Greenway River House, Red Hook Recreation Center in Brooklyn, and multiple restrooms along Rockaway Beach in Queens. 

Some Parks buildings, such as the Washington Square Park restroom in Manhattan, Carmine Carro Community Center, and Bushwick Inlet Park headquarters in Brooklyn, use geothermal systems to efficiently heat and cool their spaces. 

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Explore More Ways NYC Parks Fights Climate Change

In addition to improving our city's air quality, we're also tackling other effects of climate change that impact our city's heat index, wildlife, waterways, and flood-prone communities. Learn more: 

Features

Last updated: September 22, 2022