I am concerned about the recent finding by the American Lung Association, in which it was shown that in their 2019 State of the Air report, Suffolk County has overtaken Staten Island for having the worst ozone in New York, receiving an “F” grade. As a resident of neighboring Massapequa in Nassau, which does not have a monitor, the air is a concern of mine. It means that what I am breathing is increasingly polluted from fossil fuel emissions.
As climate change continues to worsen and pollution continues to increase, that leads to more and more people not having access to something as basic as clean air. We must act to head off this issue. One important step in doing so is for New York State to show leadership by passing the Climate and Community Protection Act. This bill will look to divest in fossil fuels, move our state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, protect communities at the forefront of our changing climate, and allow us to benefit from a cleaner environment, with the more breathable air that follows.
Please call your state senators and assembly members and ask that they pass the CCPA! Our lungs, and so much more, depend on it!
—Charles Nieves
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