Comptroller's report warns of worsening climate, recommends reform

Ramos bill would institute some protections

State and local legislators must pass regulations aimed at protecting New Yorkers laboring outdoors from threats — including extreme heat — posed by climate change, a report released by city Comptroller Brad Lander last week recommends. According to Lander’s analysis, a third of the city’s workforce — 1.4 million people — labors outdoors for prolonged periods of time. 

Those workers are paid less, on average, than their indoor counterparts, the report found, and are more likely to be Hispanic, male and non-citizens. They’re also increasingly at risk of health issues related to weather events including extreme heat, cold and wildfire smoke, like what blanketed the city in June 2023.