Harvey Epstein on Our Climate Crisis

By Jack Lourie

I had an interview with City Council Member Harvey Epstein this past month to talk about climate change. This conversation covered his background within the environmental movement, his philosophies, and the hurdles he believes we all must overcome.

Epstein — the legislator — shared two foundational perspectives that inform his work. One: environmental justice is a cornerstone of the job. Two: we need to start holding corporations accountable.

Epstein — the activist — imagines what building a larger climate movement would take. If we can all connect more to our local environments. If we can inspire people to change habits, join a protest, or write a fiery article.

Epstein’s first environmental role model was President Jimmy Carter. Carter had given a speech about putting solar panels on the roof of the White House, which made Epstein consider what it meant to be a good steward in the world that we live in. That perspective grew both through experiences in college and as a social worker, where he saw how status-quo attitudes on the environment disproportionately affected people of color. The council member was learning from the likes of local environmental justice advocates such as Eddie Bautista, Elizabeth Yeampierre, and Peggy Shepherd.

But he had a plan. First, Epstein became vegan. Then, he started composting. He went to law school. Our council member was ready to fight the man.

As a young lawyer, Epstein worked alongside the environmental justice non-profit We Act to remove bus depots from East Harlem. Buses generally run on diesel gas, which emits particulate matter: microscopic particles that float in the air. Breathing in high densities of particulate matter contributes to the development of respiratory diseases. A study in 2010 found that inhalation of black carbon by New York City teens led to higher rates of respiratory death (Patel et. al, 2010). Another study linked particulate matter density to Latino and low-income neighborhoods (Marokog).

As a state assemblyman, Epstein used his position to hold corporations responsible. He joined the Center for Climate Integrity’s Leaders Network, a coalition of political representatives looking to showcase deceptive practices of oil and gas companies. He sponsored 57 bills that contained the word “environmental,” which ranged from conservation, to recycling, to local pollution.

Now as a council member, Epstein’s previous work has given him ideas and influence regarding a bolder climate agenda. He is part of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts. He sponsored a bill to improve our recycling processes (NYC Council), and mentioned transitioning more city-owned trucks to clean diesel. A short-term win like this can lead to a 95% reduction in particulate matter emissions (Herner et al).

Epstein is also the prime sponsor of a bill that looks to “recognize the contributions of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) to the natural environment of New York City,” (NYC Council). The federal government — especially the guy who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — does not make any of Epstein’s work or climate goals easy.

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“To truly meet the moment, we need to have a real federal government who cares about humanity, unlike the government we have right now,” Epstein said. “What his Environmental Protection Agency has done is gut any environmental regulations at all; they have abolished any real oversight and have allowed polluters to continue to pollute with very little ramifications and recourse.” He was referring to the Trump administration recently removing its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions via a repeal of the Endangerment Finding (Harvard). Likewise, the Endangered Species Act faces similar pressure (Earthjustice), and Epstein’s bill could serve as a tool to protect local ecosystems if the ESA were reversed.

And with stronger government, big business could start to be held accountable. But Epstein recognizes that we aren’t there yet. “The government has to make a decision that they want to hold corporations responsible for what they are doing to our planet,” Epstein stated. “I have no idea how we entered a world where, like, Amazon can put 10 billion boxes on the streets of New York, and it’s our responsibility as (the) government to collect them and do something with them. Why? Why are we shifting corporate responsibility onto the government? And why is the government not pushing back? Corporations just put stuff into our universe, and we just accept it and say, ‘Oh, that’s just what they do.’ We need to just really shift the mindset and hold them accountable for their impact on the world.”

Making corporations responsible for the lifecycle of their products could be one way to improve our environment. Epstein also sees antitrust as an additional tool, albeit one that is stronger at the federal level. Both levers would shift responsibility toward and power away from companies such as Amazon.

There is a lot to learn from Epstein’s journey: it is rooted in empathy and has led him to City Council. In an alternate reality, perhaps Epstein could solely tend to East Village gardens. In this one, he’s also fighting corporatocracy and the environmental degradation it brings. We need to have his back as he fights the behemoths polluting our air and poisoning our waterways, because some of the fights he is taking on aren’t just political — they are structural.

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Harvey Epstein is the City Council member for District 2, which begins at 6th Avenue and runs to the East River.