New mayor-elect signals climate action will be central priority with diverse team of experts and activists
Climate Action Takes Center Stage in Transition
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has unveiled his climate transition team, signaling that environmental policy will be a cornerstone of his administration. The diverse group of climate scientists, environmental justice advocates, renewable energy experts, and community organizers reflects Mamdani’s campaign commitment to aggressive climate action grounded in equity principles.
The announcement, made in late November 2025, comes as New York City faces increasing challenges from climate change, including rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events, and persistent air quality issues that disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color. Mamdani’s climate team will be responsible for developing comprehensive policy recommendations across multiple city agencies.
Key Members of the Climate Team
The transition team includes several nationally recognized figures in climate policy and environmental justice. Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and co-founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, will co-chair the climate transition committee. Johnson brings extensive experience in coastal resilience and blue economy solutions, issues critical for New York City’s 520 miles of coastline.
Co-chairing alongside Johnson is Jerome Foster II, founder of the youth climate advocacy organization OneMillionOfUs. At just 21 years old, Foster represents the younger generation that will bear the long-term consequences of today’s climate decisions. His inclusion underscores Mamdani’s emphasis on intergenerational equity in climate planning.
According to C40 Cities, an organization of global cities committed to climate action, successful urban climate policy requires combining scientific expertise with community knowledge and youth perspectives. The composition of Mamdani’s team appears designed to achieve this balance.
Environmental Justice Focus
Perhaps most notably, the climate team includes several prominent environmental justice advocates who have spent years organizing in New York City’s most pollution-impacted neighborhoods. Sonal Jessel of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, an organization based in Harlem, will lead the environmental justice subcommittee. WE ACT has been at the forefront of fighting for cleaner air and addressing the disproportionate health impacts of pollution on Black and Latino communities.
The inclusion of grassroots organizers alongside academic experts represents a departure from traditional climate policy development, which has often been criticized for excluding the voices of frontline communities. Research from the Natural Resources Defense Council has shown that climate policies developed without meaningful community input often fail to address the most pressing local needs.
Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, is also serving on the transition team. Bautista brings decades of experience organizing around issues like waste equity, waterfront access, and climate adaptation in vulnerable neighborhoods. “For too long, climate policy has been developed in a top-down manner,” Bautista said in a statement. “This transition team represents a commitment to centering the communities most impacted by both climate change and pollution.”
Specific Policy Areas Under Review
The climate transition team has been organized into several subcommittees focusing on specific policy areas. These include renewable energy and building decarbonization, coastal resilience and adaptation, sustainable transportation, waste management and circular economy, green jobs and workforce development, and environmental justice and community health.
The renewable energy subcommittee will examine how New York City can accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels while ensuring energy affordability and reliability. The city has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, but achieving this goal will require dramatic changes to how buildings are heated and powered. According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, buildings account for nearly 70% of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Building on Existing Climate Commitments
The Mamdani administration will inherit several major climate initiatives launched under previous mayors. The Climate Mobilization Act, passed in 2019, set aggressive emissions reduction targets for large buildings. Local Law 97 requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet increasingly strict emissions limits, with substantial fines for non-compliance.
The transition team will evaluate implementation of these existing laws and recommend adjustments where needed. Some building owners have complained that compliance timelines are unrealistic and will require extensive renovations. Climate advocates counter that strong enforcement is essential to meeting the city’s overall climate goals and that building owners have had years to prepare.
The Urban Green Council, a nonprofit focused on sustainable buildings, has been working with both the transition team and building industry stakeholders to identify pathways for successful implementation. Their research suggests that targeted technical assistance and financing programs could help building owners meet emissions targets while managing costs.
Transportation and Mobility
The transportation subcommittee faces the challenge of reducing emissions from one of the city’s largest pollution sources while improving mobility for all New Yorkers. The team is examining proposals for expanding bike infrastructure, improving public transit access in underserved neighborhoods, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles for city fleets, and creating car-free zones in Manhattan and other boroughs.
Transportation equity is a central concern. Many low-income New Yorkers depend on public transit and would benefit from service improvements, while others in outer boroughs have limited transit options and rely on personal vehicles. According to the Regional Plan Association, successful transportation policy must address both environmental goals and accessibility needs.
Green Jobs and Economic Opportunity
A key component of Mamdani’s climate agenda is creating pathways to good-paying jobs in the green economy. The transition team is developing recommendations for workforce training programs, apprenticeships in renewable energy installation and building retrofitting, and requirements for union labor on city-funded climate projects.
Climate Jobs NY, a coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations, has advocated for policies ensuring that the transition to a green economy creates high-quality jobs with strong labor protections. The coalition’s research, cited by the transition team, shows that properly structured climate programs can create tens of thousands of jobs in construction, energy, and related fields.
The BlueGreen Alliance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental groups, has praised Mamdani’s focus on linking climate action with worker rights. “Climate policy and economic justice must go hand in hand,” said Jason Walsh, the organization’s executive director. “Mayor-elect Mamdani understands that fighting climate change means fighting for workers.”
Challenges Ahead
Despite the ambitious vision, the climate transition team faces significant challenges. Implementing aggressive climate policies will require substantial funding at a time when the city faces budget pressures. Balancing environmental goals with other priorities like affordable housing and public safety will test the administration’s commitment and political skills.
Moreover, many climate solutions require state and federal cooperation. The Mamdani administration will need to build strong relationships with Governor Kathy Hochul and, depending on federal election outcomes, navigate a potentially unsupportive federal government. The Columbia Climate School has published research showing that successful urban climate action depends heavily on multi-level governance cooperation.
Early Signals of Priorities
The composition and early work of the climate transition team sends clear signals about the incoming administration’s priorities. By elevating environmental justice and centering community voices, Mamdani is attempting to reshape how New York City approaches climate policy. Whether this approach can deliver both meaningful emissions reductions and tangible benefits for frontline communities will be one of the defining questions of his mayoralty.
As the transition team prepares its final recommendations ahead of the January inauguration, climate advocates are cautiously optimistic that New York City may finally match its climate rhetoric with substantive action. The stakes could not be higher for a coastal city facing existential threats from rising seas and extreme weather.
