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Donald Trump ’s hometown is going green — and forcing the president’s real estate properties to take part in the venture.
The New York city council passed a sweeping measure to address global warming last week called the Climate Mobilisation Act. The bill creates strict environmental regulations for many of the Big Apple’s largest buildings in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has expressed his support for the legislation and is expected to sign it in the coming days.
The act requires buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to instal insulation and new windows, while cutting carbon emissions by 40 per cent in 2030.
While some of New York’s skyscrapers and well-known building have taken steps to meet the challenges of climate change , Mr Trump’s properties have routinely been cited as some of the city’s biggest polluters.
Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in LondonShow all 46 1 /46Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London City of London Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country's main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Protesters with the words 'glued on' written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice"
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Jeremy Corbyn's Home Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's house
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police forces carry a protester
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Protestors sit on the road
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge
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Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus
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Two of the top ten “elite” least energy-efficient residential buildings in New York were Trump-branded properties, according to a 2015 study conducted by An Alliance for a Greater New York. The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner , is also accused of owning some of the city’s biggest polluter properties.
Once signed into law, New York’s Climate Mobilisation Act will serve as one of the largest climate initiatives passed worldwide, CBS News reported Sunday.
“President Trump might scrutinise or even outright deny the existence of climate change, but New York City is committed to fighting its drastic effects, which pose a serious threat to our future,” council member Costa Constantinides told the outlet. Ms Constantinides is one of the Democrats on the council who spearheaded its climate change response efforts.
She added: “Reports show Trump Tower and other properties are among the dirtiest emitters in the Big Apple. These are the bad actors we need to hold accountable, because their emissions make everyone’s air dirtier, fuel more violent weather and put the future of New York city in jeopardy.”
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events At least one of Mr Trump’s golf courses in Ireland has already filed applications for new construction efforts, writing in those filings that a wall between the course and the sea was now required due to “global warming and its effects.”
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