Confronting Climate Change
Climate change poses a direct and immediate threat to Westchester County residents, especially those in our most vulnerable communities. Increased flooding, extreme heat, and rising sea levels would significantly degrade the Hudson River Valley and Long Island Sound area and could drastically reduce the quality of life in Westchester by the end of the century.
The County recently completed an Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions attributable to the operations of the the County government. Based on the Inventory, a Climate Action Plan for reducing those emissions in accordance with the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was developed and finalized in 2024.
The County is currently developing a Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan that identifies potential areas where the County is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and recommends steps to address those vulnerabilities.
Additionally, by reducing our carbon emissions and building sustainable infrastructure, we can mitigate the effects of climate change and create more resilient communities. Find out how you can help combat the climate crisis.
To bring in additional voices to advise the County on ways to combat climate change, Westchester has created a Climate Crisis Taskforce comprised of local volunteers with interest and experience in advocating for environmental issues. The group meets several times a year with the Office of Energy Conservation & Sustainability to discuss strategies for addressing climate change and review important documents such as the Climate Action Plan. As of 2025, the members of the Climate Crisis Taskforce are: Jason Baker, Lisa Copeland, Janet Harckham, Gwen Jones, Suzie Ross, Leo Wiegman, and Ellen Weininger.
If you are interested in being considered for membership on the Climate Crisis Taskforce, please email .
Climate Action Plan
In 2023, for the first time in 11 years, Westchester County assembled a comprehensive climate action plan to address the threat climate change poses to our communities and create a roadmap for sustainable, environmentally conscious solutions.
View the County’s 2024 Climate Action Plan here.
The Climate Action Plan lays out a series of goals and objectives for Westchester County government. Fully implementing the goals and objectives in the Climate Action Plan is forecast to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributable to County Government to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 85% below 1990 levels by 2050. Both of these goals are aligned with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York State’s landmark climate law, passed in 2019.
With a $100K grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Westchester County Climate Action Planning Institute (Westchester CAPI) completed individualized local government operations Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GHGI) and Climate Action Plans (CAP) for each of the nine participating local governments: Westchester County; the Villages of Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Ossining, Pelham, Tarrytown; the Town of Ossining; and the Cities of Peekskill and White Plains. As lead applicant and project participant, Westchester County’s project team includes County staff and appointed members of its Climate Smart Communities Task Force. Each partner municipality contributed a similar team. Upon Westchester CAPI’s completion, the County and partner municipalities presented their GHGIs and CAPs at a final working group meeting and to their respective environmental committees and elected officials. The Hudson Valley Regional Council as primary project partner, in conjunction with ICLEI staff, guided participants in the development of their GHGIs and CAPs.
In late 2024, the County was awarded a second NYS Department of Environmental Conservation grant to help coordinate with several additional municipalities and offer support for their efforts to produce Climate Action Plans. These efforts are expected to begin in the second half of 2025. The municipalities expected to participate in this effort are: the Cities of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle; the Towns of Greenburgh, Lewisboro, Pelham, and Somers; and the Villages of Briarcliff Manor, Rye Brook, and Scarsdale.
Climate Action Plan: Inventory of Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In October, 2023, Westchester County completed the first major phase of the county government climate action plan, an Inventory of Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Emissions. This inventory is a comprehensive evaluation of the estimated greenhouse gas emissions produced by the operations of Westchester County Government. Read the Greenhouse Gas Inventory to learn more.
Westchester CAPI Goals
- Inform and educate Westchester CAPI participants on the purpose and benefits of GHGIs and CAPs
- Ensure that long-term capacity is developed at the staff and appointed volunteer level through a collaborative group learning structure
- Build long-term partnerships across municipalities and their staff/appointed volunteers
- Complete locally specific GHGIs and CAPs for each participating local government
- Facilitate implementation of near- and long-term high-impact GHG emissions reductions measures
Desired Outcomes
- Complete nine individual local government operations GHG Emissions Inventories and Climate Action Plans incorporating GHG emissions reductions plans.
- Develop successful climate change mitigation strategies.
Feedback
To offer feedback on the Climate Action Plan, please email Peter McCartt, Director of Energy Conservation & Sustainability at .
Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan
The County is in the process of developing a Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan. This plan will assess the County’s vulnerability to a variety of climate-related threats including sea-level rise, increasing heat, and more unpredictable weather. The plan will also include upcoming projects which the County is planning in order to address these vulnerabilities. The plan focuses on assets owned and operated by County Government.
As part of this planning process the County welcomes input from residents. If you would like to share feedback on climate-related threats and suggested adaptation strategies, please email Peter McCartt, Director of Energy Conservation & Sustainability at