Climate Week NYC 2023 | U.S. Climate Alliance | National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, and U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims at Climate Week NYC 2023.
  • Event

Climate Week NYC 2023

The U.S. Climate Alliance unveiled a series of new commitments from its members to eliminate emissions from buildings, including collectively quadrupling heat pump installations by the end of the decade.
September 21, 2023
- September 21, 2023
10:00 am
New York, NY | Livestream

During Climate Week NYC 2023, the U.S. Climate Alliance announced a series of new commitments from its members to eliminate emissions from buildings, including collectively quadrupling heat pump installations by the end of the decade.

 

As part of the Alliance’s new heat pump target, members agreed to collectively reach 20 million heat pump installations across the coalition by 2030, with the aim of ensuring at least 40 percent of benefits flow to disadvantaged communities. These installations will advance progress toward Alliance members’ goal of decarbonizing buildings, including collectively achieving zero-emission new construction as soon as practicable and accelerating efforts to eliminate emissions from existing buildings at a pace consistent with emissions targets under the Paris Agreement.

Read The Press Release

These commitments were announced at a Climate Week NYC event featuring Alliance co-chair and founding member Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Alliance co-chair Maine Governor Janet Mills, Alliance co-chair elect New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.

 

As the Alliance pursues building decarbonization efforts, members also agreed to:

  • Support proactive planning for an equitable and predictable transition to a zero-emission buildings future.
  • Advance actions that ensure new buildings lead the way to achieve long-term decarbonization goals, including supporting the development of zero-emission building codes and standards.
  • Accelerate efficient, electric retrofits that promote healthy homes and businesses, particularly for low-income families that bear disproportionate cost and energy burdens.
  • Pursue innovative solutions that help mitigate volatile energy prices, enhance grid reliability, and promote climate resilience.
  • Prioritize equity with the aim of ensuring at least 40 percent of benefits from building decarbonization flow to disadvantaged communities.
  • Build the workforce needed to support the clean energy transition and drive the creation of good-paying, career-pathway jobs.
  • Maximize climate benefits of new federal funds and programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), including by identifying opportunities to streamline incentives and educate consumers.
  • Lead by example through efforts to reduce emissions from state facilities.

To further advance and accelerate building decarbonization efforts, several groups of Alliance members made additional commitments, including:

  • Ten members will explore the adoption of zero-emission standards for space and water heating equipment (CA, CT, HI, MA, MD, NY, OR, PA, RI, WA).
  • Eight members will explore the adoption of Building Performance Standards like those enacted in CO, MD, OR, and WA (CA, CT, HI, MA, ME, NY, PA, RI).
  • Eight members will explore the development of clean heat standards (CT, HI, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, RI).
  • Five members will work to phase out fossil fuel heating and cooling in new construction by 2027 (CA, MA, MD, NY, WA).
  • Twelve members will support the development and adoption of advanced energy-efficient building codes that maximize opportunities for efficient electrification and support solar and electric vehicle readiness (CA, CO, CT, MA, MD, ME, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, WA).
  • Ten members will take actions to align buildings sector utility resource planning and procurement policies with state climate goals (CA, CT, HI, MA, MD, NJ, NY, OR, RI, WA).
  • Two members will become partners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge, joining MD and other partners in committing to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions from state facilities by at least 50 percent in the next 10 years (HI, ME).
In The News
  • AP: Governors, Biden administration push to quadruple efficient heating, AC units by 2030 [September 21, 2023]
  • CNBC: States announce major push to get to 20 million installed heat pumps, a cleaner alternative to gas furnaces that also provide AC [September 21, 2023]
  • Canary Media: New plan aims to quadruple heat-pump adoption in 25 states [September 21, 2023]
  • Grist: A group of U.S. governors promise to install 20 million heat pumps by 2030 [September 21, 2023]
  • Bloomberg: US Governors Aim to Install 20 Million New Heat Pumps by 2030 [September 21, 2023]
Watch The Full Event
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2023 Buildings Climate Week Event
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