Recently, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that 2015 was by far the hottest year in recorded history.  For the first time, the Earth is 1.8 degrees warmer than in pre-industrial times.

At the recent Paris climate accord, the world’s leaders promised to limit the increase of the Earth’s atmosphere to no more than 2 degrees.  The 2015 temperature hike underscores how difficult that pledge will be to keep.

Experts have said that an increase in the world’s temperature that exceeds the 2 degree limit is likely to unleash global climate changes that may be extremely dangerous and perhaps impossible to reverse.

The increasing global temperature is being felt in New York.  New Yorkers who have suffered through extreme weather events like Sandy, Irene and Lee need no reminder that incredible heat spells, snow falls, rain, surging tides and floods are the new normal.  Climate change is not just an environmental issue: A warming climate is affecting New York’s agricultural and tourism sectors; deteriorating air quality results in more emergency room visits, illnesses and deaths; extreme heat is taking an increasing number of lives; and heat and frequent severe weather significantly increase the demands placed on the state’s infrastructure, particularly the state’s rickety electric grid.

And that’s why governments must act.

Here in New York, the Cuomo Administration has offered plans to curb the state’s contribution to global warming.  The first step was to block expanded exploitation of fossil fuels in New York through the ban on fracking.  The next steps were unveiled in the governor’s 2016 budget plan.

The Administration has mandated that New York double its reliance on renewable energy to power the electrical grid in just 15 years.  By 2030 the goal is for the state to get 50 percent of its power from renewable energy sources.

In its budget plan, the Administration highlighted its $5 billion Clean Energy Fund, which will combine existing and new programs to grow renewable energy across the state, and the Clean Energy Standard, which will mandate more renewables in a tight timeframe.  Both of these plans are essential to the Administration’s efforts to curb power plant emissions and stimulate the use of alternative energy, from battery storage to electric cars.

In addition, the governor is seeking to phase out its two coal plants, by converting them to natural gas or shutting them down entirely.

Under the governor’s plan, New York will add 150,000 solar panels on businesses and homes, as well as at State University of New York campuses by 2020.  The state will also have a goal of making 500,000 new homes more energy efficient.  In total, the state’s energy research agency will finance $1.5 billion in clean energy projects across state-owned buildings as well as local and municipal projects by 2020.

The Administration also calls for the construction of 300 wind turbines, a 40 percent increase, and to create a plan to develop offshore wind resources.

Of course, there are still issues that need to be finalized.  For example, while the state moves toward its goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030, it must not subsidize energy sources that are not renewable—such as nuclear energy and solid waste incineration.

The governor’s budget contained other important environmental initiatives – from boosting support for the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, to enhanced spending on upgrading drinking water and sewer lines, as well as wastewater treatment facility repairs and upgrades.  New York’s aging infrastructure is in desperate need, and the costs of repair and replacement only increase after system failures.

History will judge how our society handles the unprecedented threat posed by climate change.  The governor’s budget offers a blueprint, now it’s up to the legislature to improve and approve it.