Coalition to push climate change effort

ALBANY — Environmental groups, labor unions, religious organizations and business leaders on Wednesday will begin to two-city effort to make climate change a major issue in the upcoming legislative session.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will be at a Buffalo event and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will be at the New York City event.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has also said he will seek to reduce carbon emissions in New York and encourage use of renewable energy such as solar power.

The legislative session begins in January.

The coalition seeks to build on the momentum from the recent global climate change summit in Paris. At the conference, DiNapoli announced he would invest billions of dollars of the state pension fund into companies that seek to reduce carbon emissions that can contribute to global warming.

“We need a new era of good, clean energy jobs in Long Island and across the state,” said Hector Figueroa, president of the politically influential 32BJ Service Employees International Union. “Working families are ready to stand up and fight to renew New York.”

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.