Climate change is an urgent and complex global issue that is already impacting the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, international public health officials declared climate change to be “the greatest global health threat facing the world in the 21st century,” and also “the greatest opportunity to redefine the social and environmental determinants of health.” Though climate change will impact all 1.2 million residents of the region, it will not impact everyone equally. Climate change is an injustice accelerator, impacting vulnerable populations first and worst, despite having contributed least to the problem.

New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050, with specific sub-targets along the way, including the allocation of 35-40% of benefits to environmental justice communities. Locally, the Genesee-FLX Climate Collective has developed a regional climate action strategy focused on key enablers of systemic change necessary to transition our community away from fossil fuels and build an inclusive clean energy economy. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, our organization is committed to aligning with the state’s goals and advancing the regional climate action strategy.

As an organization, we pledge to reduce our organization’s greenhouse gas emissions and to work with the broader community to advance a swift and equitable transition to clean energy. We agree to all of the following: