BOROUGH PRESIDENT GIBSON CALLS FOR EXPANDED TREE CANOPY COVERAGE IN COMMUNITY BOARDS 1-6 DECLARES EXTREME HEAT DURING THE SUMMER A PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUE

Oct82024

According to a 2024 New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Report, each year, approximately 350 die due to heat-related illnesses with 7 deaths caused by heat stress

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Bronx, NY - On Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson joined Senior Environmental Protection and Community Relations Manager at WM, Jay Kaplan; Natural Areas Conservancy Executive Director, Sarah Charlop-Powers, President of Bronx Council for Environmental Quality President, Robert Fanuzzi, Ph.D.; Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite, Mychal Johnson; President of Friends of Pelham Bay Park, and Founder of Loving the Bronx, Nilka Martell; and others south of 98 Lincoln Avenue on the Bronx Waterfront in the Mott Haven section to call for action to be taken to address tree canopy coverage disparities in Community Boards 1-6 that contributes to extreme heat conditions that threaten the health and safety of elderly residents and Black New Yorkers.

"Despite being the greenest borough, the distribution of trees and greenspaces is not equitable and is disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable residents," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

"Today`s presser is a call to action and attention to address these disparities, which contribute to poor air quality in the South Bronx, and extreme heat, further exacerbating pre-existing health conditions that can lead to heat-related illness or heat-related mortality. We are grateful to have advocates, colleagues in government, and private partners who care about these issues and are committed to working with us to protect the health of our residents and families."

"WM is deeply committed to environmental stewardship with a focus on sustainability and thriving communities," said Chris Farley, VP of WM Greater Mid-Atlantic. "Last year, to scale our conservation efforts, we planted a micro-forest at our Harlem River Yard facility in the South Bronx, a groundbreaking initiative to improve air, soil and water quality. WM is proud to work with our neighbors in the Bronx to address critical issues like the urban heat island effect while creating new and much-needed green spaces in a community that lacks open space and tree canopies."

"Tree canopy cover can significantly lower temperatures in some of our most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods, with natural areas like forests and wetlands being the coolest places in the city," said Sarah Charlop-Powers, executive director for the Natural Areas Conservancy. "Research from the Natural Areas Conservancy shows that forests in the Bronx can be at least 12 degrees cooler than even nearby street trees on the hottest days of the year, which demonstrates the importance of caring for these green spaces so that their cooling and other health benefits reach all New Yorkers."

"Bronx Council for Environmental Quality encourages our Bronx elected officials to govern environmentally: to make meaningful public policy impacts with green space, clean air, and clean water," said Robert Fanuzzi, Ph. D., President Bronx Council for Environmental Quality. "By advocating for expansive tree canopies within the borough's most vulnerable communities, Borough President Vanessa Gibson has done just that. We call on all city agencies and private developers to adopt this priority and make climate change mitigation job 1."

"Tree coverage and access to green space helps to combat the inequalities that exist in the South Bronx, where one out of four children in our community have asthma and other respiratory-related illnesses," said Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite, Mychal Johnson. "We must reduce the Urban Heat Island effect, improve air quality, and create healthier outcomes."

"Expanding the tree canopy in the South Bronx helps tackle environmental injustice," said President of Friend of Pelham Bay Park, and Founder of Loving the Bronx, Nilka Martell. "Trees will help to alleviate the heat island impact and provide plentiful benefits to the borough at-large."

According to a report on heat related mortality released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in June, about 350 heat-related deaths occur in our city each year. Mortality records from New York and other cities across the country have shown that heat kills along age, socioeconomic, and racial lines. Black New Yorkers and older adults are more likely than other New Yorkers to die from heat - both directly and due to exacerbating underlying medical conditions.

High levels of heat affecting the Bronx have numerous causes, including the heat island effect, which causes urban areas to have higher levels of heat than outlying rural areas. One of the prevailing factors contributing to the heat island effect is a lack of vegetation. Additionally, an insufficient number of trees and other green space has other effects, including elevated levels of air pollution and increased sewer system overflows during heavy rain events.

Mott Haven has 14% tree canopy coverage, and Hunts Point is even lower at 8%, two of the lowest coverage rates of any neighborhoods in the city. With these communities also experiencing high rates of health disparities, we must see immediate change to improve the health and safety of those who live here.

At the press conference, the Borough President and advocates called this issue a threat to public health and safety and are demanding additional action to be taken by the city and private entities to address these disparities. Along with calling for a 1% investment in the FY 2026 city budget towards city parks with a focus on neighborhoods with less tree canopy coverage, Borough President Gibson is calling for our private partners to also join with us to invest in initiatives that support existing green spaces or the establishment of new trees and/or parks in neighborhoods with significant need.

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