In honor of Earth Week, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new initiative to help the city achieve its environmental goals.  

New York City has been tracking its greenhouse gas emissions produced by city agencies for the last 10 years, and will now be tracking the environmental impact of the city’s food.  

New data shows that food production and consumption is the third-largest driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the city, after buildings and transportation. Meat and dairy products are the leading foods in household emissions.  

“We can't talk about cars, we can't talk about buildings without talking about food that also contributes to this crisis,” said Adams. “It’s easy to talk about the emissions coming from vehicles and how it impacts our carbon footprint but we now have to talk about beef.” 

NYC Health + Hospitals has made environmentally-friendly changes to their food production, drastically increasing the amount of their food that is plant-based for the last two years. The city plans to follow in those footsteps by reducing meat production.  

The mayor pledged to cut carbon emissions from food across city agencies by 33% by 2030. Adams is also challenging the private sector to follow the city’s lead by reducing food emissions by 25%.  

“Food impacts everything, it impacts our physical health, our mental health, our way of life… today we are saying to New Yorkers, and really to the globe, that it impacts our planet,” said Adams.