New York City

=== Environment ===
{{main|Environmental issues in New York City}}
[[File:Recycling_combine_-_Sunset_Pk,_NYC_05.jpg|thumb|The [[Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility]] is the largest [[Single-stream recycling|commingled recycling facility]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Szczepanski |first=Mallory |date=July 21, 2017 |title=Behind the Scenes of Sims Municipal Recycling's MRF in Brooklyn |url=https://www.waste360.com/mrfs/behind-scenes-sims-municipal-recyclings-mrf-brooklyn |access-date=January 5, 2022 |website=Waste360 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Paben |first=Jared |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Closed Loop picks up a MRF operator with strong financials – Resource Recycling |url=https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/01/11/closed-loop-picks-up-a-mrf-operator-with-strong-financials/ |access-date=February 21, 2022 |website=Resource Recycling News |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
Environmental issues in New York City are affected by the city's size, density, [[Transportation in New York City|abundant public transportation infrastructure]], and its location at the mouth of the Hudson River. For example, it is one of the country's biggest sources of pollution and has the lowest per-capita [[greenhouse gas emissions]] rate and electricity usage. [[Governors Island]] is planned to host a US$1{{nbsp}}billion research and education center to make New York City the global leader in addressing the [[climate change|climate crisis]].<ref name="NYCGlobalClimateLeader">{{cite web |date = October 26, 2022 |title = Mayor Adams, Trust For Governors Island Unveil Finalist Proposals For Climate Solutions Center |url = https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/781-22/mayor-adams-trust-governors-island-finalist-proposals-climate-solutions-center#/0 |access-date = October 28, 2022 |publisher = City of New York }}</ref>

As an [[port|oceanic port]] city, New York City is vulnerable to long-term manifestations of [[global warming]] like [[sea level rise]] exacerbated by [[land subsidence]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Prisco |first1=Jacopo |title=New York City is sinking due to its million-plus buildings, study says |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/23/world/nyc-sinking-sea-level-climate-scn/index.html |access-date=22 January 2024 |agency=CNN |publisher=Earth's Future |date=23 May 2023}}</ref> Climate change has spawned the development of a significant [[green economy|climate resiliency]] and [[environmental sustainability]] economy in the city. New York City has focused on reducing its [[Human impact on the environment|environmental impact]] and [[carbon footprint]].<ref name="NYCCarbonFootprint">{{cite web |date = September 21, 2014 |title = Mayor de Blasio Commits to 80 Percent Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050, Starting with Sweeping Green Buildings Plan |url = http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/451-14/mayor-de-blasio-commits-80-percent-reduction-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2050-starting-with#/0 |access-date = October 31, 2014 |publisher = City of New York }}</ref> [[Mass transit]] use is the highest in the United States.

New York's [[List of U.S. cities with high transit ridership|high rate of public transit use]], more than 610,000 daily cycling trips {{As of|2022|lc=y}},<ref name=NYCcycling/> and [[List of U.S. cities with most pedestrian commuters|many pedestrian commuters]] make it the most energy-efficient major city in the United States.<ref name="NYC energy consumption">{{cite book |last = Jervey |first = Ben |url = https://archive.org/details/biggreenappleyou00jerv |title = The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City |publisher = [[Globe Pequot Press]] |year = 2006 |isbn = 978-0-7627-3835-9 }}</ref> Walk and bicycle modes of travel account for 21% of all modes for trips in the city; nationally, the rate for metro regions is about 8%.<ref>{{cite web |date = December 2004 |title = 2001 National Household Travel Survey: Summary of Travel Trends |url = http://nhts.ornl.gov/2001/pub/STT.pdf |access-date = September 1, 2008 |publisher = [[U.S. Department of Transportation]] }}</ref> In both its 2011 and 2015 rankings, [[Walk Score]] named New York City the most [[Walkability|walkable]] large city in the United States,<ref>{{cite news |last = Florida |first = Richard |date = April 7, 2015 |title = 2015's Most Walkable U.S. Cities |newspaper = [[The Atlantic]] |publisher = [[MSN]] |url = https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/2015s-most-walkable-us-cities/ar-AAayJRg |url-status = dead |access-date = April 12, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150411013021/http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/2015s-most-walkable-us-cities/ar-AAayJRg |archive-date = April 11, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = NYC tops list of most walkable cities in America—video narrative by Mara Montalbano |url = https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/travel/nyc-tops-list-of-most-walkable-cities-in-america/vi-AAaEJMr |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024120549/https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/travel/nyc-tops-list-of-most-walkable-cities-in-america/vi-AAaEJMr |archive-date = October 24, 2015 |access-date = April 11, 2015 |publisher = Buzz60, on [[MSN]] |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year = 2011 |title = The 10 Most Walkable U.S. Cities |url = http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10-most-walkable-us-cities-2011-07-20?link=MW_popular |access-date = July 20, 2011 |work = [[MarketWatch]] }}</ref> and in 2018, ''Stacker'' ranked New York the most walkable U.S. city.<ref>{{cite web |first = Betsy |last = Ladyzhets |date = April 18, 2018 |title = Most walkable cities in America |url = https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/most-walkable-cities-in-america/ss-AAw27Ti?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp |access-date = May 18, 2018 |publisher = Stacker, via [[MSN]] }}</ref> [[Citibank]] sponsored public bicycles for the city's [[bike-share]] project, which became known as [[Citi Bike]], in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last = Hamblin |first = James |date = June 28, 2013 |title = The Summer Bicycles Took Control |url = https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/the-summer-bicycles-took-control/277166/ |access-date = June 28, 2013 |work = [[The Atlantic Monthly]] |publisher = The Atlantic Monthly Group }}</ref> New York City's numerical "in-season cycling indicator" of bicycling in the city had hit an all-time high of 437 when measured in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title = 2014 NYC In-Season Cycling Indicator |url = http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2014-isci.pdf |access-date = March 15, 2019 |publisher = City of New York }}</ref>

The New York City drinking water supply is extracted from the protected [[Catskill Mountains]] watershed.<ref>{{cite web |title = Current Reservoir Levels |url = http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/maplevels_wide.shtml |access-date = August 15, 2014 |publisher = [[New York City Department of Environmental Protection]] }}</ref> As a result of the watershed's integrity and undisturbed natural [[water filtration]] system, New York is one of only four major cities in the United States the majority of whose drinking water is pure enough not to require purification through [[water treatment]] plants.<ref>{{cite news |last = Lustgarten |first = Abrahm |date = August 6, 2008 |title = City's Drinking Water Feared Endangered; $10B Cost Seen |work = [[The New York Sun]] |url = http://www.nysun.com/new-york/citys-drinking-water-feared-endangered-0b-cost/83288/ |access-date = August 9, 2008 |archive-date = August 20, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160820001437/http://www.nysun.com/new-york/citys-drinking-water-feared-endangered-0b-cost/83288/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> The city's municipal water system is the largest in the United States, moving more than {{Convert|1|e9gal|e9l|abbr=off|sp=us}} of water daily from a watershed covering {{Convert|1900|sqmi}}<ref name="NYTimes-Water-Investment-2018">{{cite news |first = Winnie |last = Hu |date = January 18, 2018 |title = A Billion-Dollar Investment in New York's Water |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/nyregion/new-york-city-water-filtration.html |access-date = January 18, 2018 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-02/documents/ws-ourwater-new-york-state-fact-sheet.pdf ''New York Water Fact Sheet''], [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]. June 2010. Accessed December 29, 2023. "New York City is home to the largest engineered water system in the nation, supplying more than 1 billion gallons of water each day to approximately 9 million people, representing half of the state's population. The city draws its water from reservoirs upstate, supplied by a 1,900-square mile watershed—that's about the size of Delaware."</ref>

According to the 2016 [[World Health Organization]] Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database,<ref>{{cite web |title = WHO Global Ambient Air Quality Database (update 2018) |url = https://www.who.int/airpollution/data/cities/en/ |website = [[World Health Organization]] |access-date = January 16, 2022 }}</ref> the annual average concentration in New York City's air of particulate matter measuring 2.5{{nbsp}}micrometers or less (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) was 7.0{{nbsp}}micrograms per cubic meter, or 3.0{{nbsp}}micrograms within the recommended limit of the WHO Air Quality Guidelines for the annual mean PM<sub>2.5</sub>.<ref>{{cite web |title = Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health |url = https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health |website = [[World Health Organization]] |access-date = January 16, 2022 }}</ref> The [[New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene]], in partnership with [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]], conducts the New York Community Air Survey to measure pollutants at about 150 locations.<ref>{{cite web |title = Air Pollution Monitoring |url = http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/air/air_pollution_monitoring.shtml |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190305195347/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/air/air_pollution_monitoring.shtml |archive-date = March 5, 2019 |access-date = January 16, 2022 |website = [[New York City Department of Environmental Protection]] |url-status = dead }}</ref>