If the state’s ambitious effort to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t include education, financial aid, and lots of help, it will be even more difficult. In particular, state officials will likely need to be flexible with deadlines that, for now, seem drastically imminent.

Change is both necessary and inevitable; the path can be negotiated. Our mantra should be “True to purpose, flexible with means”.

Of course, the draft plan is still under debate and many questions remain unanswered for months to come, but we do know one thing: New York’s switch to fossil fuels will be expensive. The sticker shock extends to every possible industry, from utility providers to builders to an entire consumer population. Need a new car? It will be electric. Building a new house? Say goodbye to gas heating and familiarize yourself with geothermal energy.

The idea is to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050. For this, all new homes will have to use zero-emission systems from 2024, in less than two years. By 2030, existing owners replacing worn-out furnaces will also be required to use emission-free systems and at least 3 million drivers will trade in their internal combustion cars for electric vehicles.

It’s hard to imagine anyone who won’t feel the impact of this monumental transition, but it’s a transition we urgently need. The effects of climate change are no longer expected at a later date. They are there.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, sea levels along New York’s coastline – where more than half of the state’s population live – have already risen more than a foot since 1900. Average annual temperatures have increased by about 2.5 degrees since 1970. Severe weather events are increasing; throw heat waves into the mix and there are increased risks of injury and death as well as lasting disruption to agriculture.

It is no longer possible to ignore all of this, but it is also necessary to offer all available incentives to those who are not ready to face the start-up costs and higher tariffs involved in the transition to electricity, which probably means most people in western New York. owners. We also wonder how these costs will affect the state’s ability to retain or attract energy-intensive industries. Federal and state subsidies, as well as significant tax breaks, should be high on the wish list of this plan.

Those who think the path to zero emissions is too steep should remember that most meaningful progress initially seemed impossible. And it’s amazing how the infrastructure to support innovation is growing as new business opportunities arise. It didn’t take long for roadside refueling to take off after the first drive-in gas station was built in 1913: by 1929, there were 121,513 gas stations across the country. We hope charging stations will proliferate even faster.

When it comes to expenses, history has shown that as new technologies become more commonly used, costs drop exponentially. And here in western New York, there’s a flip side: this region – remote from any coast, free from tornadoes and hurricanes – should become one of the few geographic magnets for Americans who seek to escape the punishments of a changing climate. The state and the world have yet to reduce the risks, but this region could become a net beneficiary of climate change.

Finally, we are not alone. Twenty-four other states have similar plans in place, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and others.

In the end, no matter how many speed bumps we have to endure, this is the path to survival for our children and grandchildren. It’s good that we’re on it.

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