In a new report, the luxurious buildings in New York have been found to have terrible energy-use records. Seventy percent of city's gas emissions come from buildings, while others come from vehicles and other sources, like wastewater treatment.
Without energy efficiency measures in place, the city's luxury buildings will have enormous impacts on climate, and buildings which have swanky amenities such as heat, air conditioning, and electricity will continue to contribute to the city's greenhouse gas emission problem.
A coalition was formed to investigate the list of buildings on Forbes' World's Billionaires list, as well as those buildings in the Business Insider's round-up of the 10 most expensive buildings in New York City.
It was found that the four top buildings on the list are in the 90th percentile when it comes to energy use among residential buildings. It turns out that each of the 10 top emitters scores above the city's median energy-use rating.
According to the New York Post, the list includes two buildings of Donald Trump that emit the most greenhouse gases among the ritzy properties. The biggest emitter is in 838 Fifth Avenue, a luxurious pre-war condo building on the Upper East Side. The next top emitter is on 101 Warren Street in Tribeca, which is a rental condo complex where Jim Carrey once scooped out an apartment.
The coalition's point in highlighting these buildings stems from their belief that they have the resources necessary to effect change, but they won't do it voluntarily, so there should be directives to ensure that these gas-emitting buildings become more efficient.
New York City must address climate change to protect its residents. Among major cities in the U.S., New York City is more at risk from economic losses, not just from emissions, but also from flooding, as posted by the Alignny blog.
Sea levels in the city are also estimated to rise up to two feet by 2050, a significant threat that shouldn't be ignored.
New York City's elite emitters live in the most expensive buildings and are among the worst carbon polluters in the city.
