New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman, and State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis today unveiled the “New York Climate Exchange,” a transformative vision for a first-in-the-nation climate research, education, and jobs hub on Governors Island that will create thousands of permanent jobs and $1 billion in economic impact for the city. A cross-sector consortium led by Stony Brook, the Exchange will create a state-of-the-art, $700-million, 400,000-square-foot campus dedicated to researching and developing innovative climate solutions that will be scaled across New York City and the world and that will equip New Yorkers to hold the green jobs of the future.
“Today, here in the heart of New York Harbor, we are taking a giant leap toward a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for every New Yorker with the ‘New York Climate Exchange,’” said Mayor Adams. “This first-of-its-kind project will make New York City a global leader in developing solutions for climate change while creating thousands of good-paying green jobs for New Yorkers and infusing $1 billion into our city’s economy. Where some people see challenges, New Yorkers see opportunities, and this team and this project are leading the charge.”
The culmination of a two-year, competitive request for proposal process, the selection of the New York Climate Exchange represents a major milestone in the city’s groundbreaking Center for Climate Solutions initiative — a key piece of Mayor Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery” — which will create 7,000 permanent jobs and a billion dollars in economic impact, while expanding and enhancing public access to Governors Island. The Exchange alone will create over 2,200 100-percent union jobs, including for construction and building services, with a commitment to hire all construction and building service workers at prevailing wage and a goal of 35 percent minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE) participation in construction.
Once fully operational, the campus is expected to serve 600 postsecondary students, 4,500 K-12 students, 6,000 workforce trainees, and 250 faculty and researchers every year while supporting up to 30 businesses annually through its incubator program. The campus will be funded in part with significant gifts of $100 million from the Simons Foundation and $50 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“New York City still remains the global hub for innovation — and the investment in Governors Island is another example of the forward-thinking vision our city can deliver on,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “From a state-of-the-art education hub to creating thousands of jobs across emerging sectors, the Adams administration is writing a new, exciting chapter in our city’s history. I applaud all of the partners, the cross-sector collaboration, and leadership across multiple mayors that made this announcement possible.”
“Today, New York City establishes itself as a pacesetter in the fight to combat the climate crisis. Through this transformational initiative, we will lead the way in climate research and education while creating a first-of-its kind jobs hub for New Yorkers to benefit from the new green economy,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “The Trust for Governors Island set an inspired process for bold, solutions-oriented responses to climate change, the greatest threat of our time, right in the middle of New York Harbor. I am excited to see the New York Climate Exchange led by Stony Brook execute upon this vision with a state-of-the-art, 400,000-square-foot campus open to the public, 7,000 permanent jobs on the island, 2,000 construction jobs in the coming years, and a curriculum that will make New York City the undisputed leader in addressing the crisis of our time.”
“The future of climate jobs and leadership is bright,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “The New York Climate Exchange will provide transformational benefits for green job training and increased access and open space in one of New York’s most beloved parks. Together with the recently released PlaNYC, we have the blueprint and investment to execute on the climate action New Yorkers need.”
“With today’s announcement, Governors Island’s role as a historic gateway to New York City enters a new chapter, as a place where ideas come to life and hopeful solutions to the climate crisis become reality,” said Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman. “We are honored to select Stony Brook University and the New York Climate Exchange to anchor the Center for Climate Solutions here on Governors Island, creating a global hub for education, research, job training, and public engagement on climate solutions for cities. Thank you to Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer, Mayor Bloomberg, and Mayor de Blasio for your commitment to the future of the Island, and thank you to President McInnis and the entire Exchange team for answering our call.”
“We are honored, excited, and proud to partner with the City of New York to build this historic center that will cement New York City as the world leader on climate change, the most pressing issue of our time,” said Maurie McInnis, president, Stony Brook University. “Up until now, the development of climate solutions has been siloed, with world leaders separate from expert scientists separate from the on-the-ground green workforce. As an international leader on climate and as the leading public research institution in New York, Stony Brook University will bring stakeholders together from the academic, government, and business communities to make the Climate Exchange the center of research, innovation, education, and collaboration to address this global crisis.”
“We are honored to partner with Stony Brook and the Exchange,” said David Spergel, president, Simons Foundation. “Our partnership with Stony Brook goes back many years, and together, we’ve made great progress in both basic and health sciences. This enduring relationship is a source of great pride for all of us at the Simons Foundation. Stony Brook has catapulted to the forefront of higher education through its remarkable strengths as a research institution and its unequaled focus on equity and access. I cannot think of a more qualified institution to lead this historic fight against climate change — a fight that must be met with innovation, intellect, and tenacity.”
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