I got to play Ghostbuster last summer. I was a volunteer for an air quality survey in New York City, which meant I walked around Midtown carrying a bunch of pollution sensors in a backpack. On a handheld monitor, I could see the "particle counts" in real time - and it was a real eye-opener. For example, every time I was near idling traffic (and there's a lot of that in NYC!) the numbers spiked. I wanted a mask!
That's why I'm posting this action alert on behalf of my Living Cities colleagues, rather than my usual climate science diary. (On the other hand, cutting pollution is a climate winner...)
The short version of my call for action is this: New York can get $500 million in federal funds to help cut pollution, clean the air, and speed up transit - but only if Albany acts by July 16. The Speaker of the NY State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, is not yet on board. Please call his office and ask him to support congestion pricing, at (212) 312-1420.
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