Lawmakers press forward on controversial bills that would have big impact on Amazon deliveries: 'What we need are real solutions'

The New York City Council is preparing to introduce legislation to curb the negative environmental impact caused by large e-commerce warehouses. The proposed measures seek to reduce harmful emissions from fulfillment centers and monitor air quality across the city's five boroughs.

According to reporting by Gothamist, 1 in 3 New Yorkers live within half a mile of a mega-warehouse. E-commerce giants such as Amazon have expanded significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and low-income minority neighborhoods bear the brunt of the ecological harm caused by fulfillment centers.

Much of the problem lies in the huge number of heavy freight trucks that pass through the centers. Red Hook in Brooklyn sees around 1,200 delivery trucks each day, causing immense harm to the air quality.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala told Gothamist ahead of the hearings, "What we need are real solutions like congestion pricing and the indirect source rule to reduce pollution."

While companies such as Amazon are quick to point to their environmental pledges, they often fall short of their promises.

For example, in 2019, Amazon pledged to reach net-zero emissions on half of its deliveries by 2030. You won't find any traces of that promise today, as it was quietly removed in 2023. Similarly, Amazon claimed a 3% reduction in total emissions in 2023, but closer scrutiny of those statistics found that the company "drastically undercounts" its carbon footprint. The company counts only products with an Amazon brand label, which make up just 1% of its total sales.

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Amazon certainly isn't alone in greenwashing, but it is one of the worst offenders.

The health problems caused by air pollution are still not fully understood, and new research suggests a link with cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization estimates that 4 million deaths are attributable to impurities in the air each year. Legislation proposed by New York City is just the first step in tackling this growing problem. Council member Alexa Aviles described the measures as an "important step forward for our city and our climate future."

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