It’s futile to fret over quality of life if there’s no life to begin with. And there is no greater threat to life — and to our future — than the accelerating climate crisis.

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As an emergency physician, I’ve seen firsthand how environmental neglect drives public health collapse. Asthma rates spike after wildfires and aerosol emissions from excess automobile traffic. ERs fill up and energy prices escalate for New Yorkers during heat waves. Infrastructure buckles during flooding, leaving our most vulnerable stranded. 

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These aren’t abstract predictions, we are all living in these present emergencies right now. If we want to reduce healthcare costs, protect housing, and preserve mobility, we must treat climate resiliency as the urgent public health issue that it is.

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The Borough President’s powers center on land use and budget advocacy, which also makes it a powerful seat for climate action: land use is climate policy. As Borough President, I’ll use every tool available to push for a Manhattan that is climate-resilient, energy-secure, and fundamentally built to survive.

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My Climate Resiliency Agenda:

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Help Building and Land Owners Meet Local Law 97 — and Do It Right

New York City’s landmark climate law requires large buildings over 25,000 square feet to reduce their carbon emissions, with a 10% aggregate reduction in New York City’s emissions mandated by 2030. But passing laws isn’t the same as implementing them. Right now, too many building owners are considering just paying the fines rather than retrofitting their properties.

 

As Borough President, I’ll:

• Use my office as a climate connector — matching property owners with capital, guidance, and public-private partners to upgrade their buildings

• Promote a culture of compliance through collaboration, not just penalties

• Push for real outcomes: cleaner air, lower emissions, and healthier homes

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Advance Coastal Resiliency Projects That Protect People, Not Just Property

I was a second year med student when Hurricane Sandy hit 13 years ago. We still remember Bellevue Hospital’s full evacuation and the human chaos that followed. We cannot afford to be caught off guard again.

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That’s why I will:

• Champion the East Side Coastal Resiliency project and similar efforts to turn flood zones into climate-ready green infrastructure

• Prioritize funding for reinforcing the coasts of low-lying, high-risk neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, Inwood, and Harlem — where extreme weather hits hardest

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Push for nature-based infrastructure that also creates usable public space: floodable parks, bioswales, rooftop gardens, stormwater retention gardens, and shaded corridors that combat urban heat

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Secure Clean, Reliable Energy for Manhattan

Blackouts during heatwaves and cold snaps don’t just inconvenience — they kill. Grid deficiencies lead to power outages that threaten the health of vulnerable New Yorkers — especially during extreme heat or cold. 

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Additionally, grid volatility contributes to higher energy prices, further placing cost burdens on working class New Yorkers. We cannot build a livable Manhattan if our power grid can’t keep up.

 

That’s why I will:

• Work with my future colleagues in Albany to complete the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a major clean energy pipeline bringing renewable hydroelectric power to NYC

• Advocate for grid modernization and reliability upgrades to meet growing demand and therefore safeguarding vulnerable communities against power outages during extreme weather events and heat waves

• Treat energy as a basic right, not a luxury — because grid failures lead to public health emergencies, higher utility bills, and economic instability

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As Borough President, I won’t let weaponized ignorance and complacency stand in the way of Manhattanites’ right to clean, reliable, and affordable energy.

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Resiliency is not a luxury. It’s the baseline of survival.
And just like in the emergency room, we need to stabilize the system, buy ourselves time, and act fast — before the next crisis hits.

Because there’s no medicine for a city underwater. But there is still time to prepare.

 

Let’s get to work.