In 2001, the county — working with the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, a program of The International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)-Local Governments for Sustainability — inventoried the county’s greenhouse gas emissions. Using CO2, the principal green house gas, we produced a Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Forecast Report both for county government operations and facilities, as well as for the county as a whole.

• It is estimated that the county as a whole  produced almost 12 millions tons of carbon dioxide in 1999.
• The transportation sector accounted for about 51% of this. Residential household energy use accounted for about 30%.
• The commercial sector accounted for about 19%.
• The report indicated that based upon the county population in 1999, the tons per capita of CO2 produced in the county in that year was 13.1 tons per person.

“This is an enormous amount,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “While it is lower than estimates for some of other New York counties in the same period, it is higher than the state average of the time of 11.8 tons. And even that state average is way too high.”  

In Westchester the impacts of climate change could be very severe. A federal report, The Potential Impacts of Global Warming on the Mid-Atlantic Region, 2000, sought to evaluate the possible effects.

• It concluded that the Mid-Atlantic region with its extensive coastline is likely to suffer from the impacts of increased flooding and sea-level rise expected under different climate change scenarios.
• Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, floods, heat waves, and drought are likely to become more frequent. 
• Changes in temperature and rainfall could contribute to summer heat stress, smog, and other health risks plus take a toll on the forests, including our magnificent parks, and on migratory bird habitats as well.

On Dec. 4, 2006, the state Department of Environmental Conservation held a one-day conference, co-sponsored by Westchester County, for local decision-makers to explore the issues surrounding climate change in the Hudson Valley.