Climate change is no longer a theory to be debated – it is a reality that we must be prepared for. I recently offered a comprehensive vision for fortifying our City against the future impacts of climate change. This includes protecting our coastline and vulnerable communities, making our buildings more resilient and upgrading our energy, water, communications and transportation systems. I applaud Mayor Bloomberg’s continued leadership on this issue and the forward-thinking proposals he offered in today’s speech. This issue is simply too important to ignore. Working together, we will lead the way in ensuring New York is ready to meet the challenges of the years ahead. The future of our city depends on it.