New York puts bounty on climate sinners

In order to improve the air quality in the city, the US city of New York is taking drastic measures: private individuals can report truck drivers to the environmental authority – if they do not comply with the rules.

Logan has around 200,000 US dollars with the so-called Citizens Air Complaint Program last year – in addition to his full-time job as a lawyer in a law firm. The American has turned the bounty hunt for the environmental agency in New York into a lucrative part-time job, as he says SWR reported.

The complaints program is aimed at truck drivers who leave the engines of their vehicles running when they stop to get coffee, load and unload, eat during the lunch break or other activities where the car does not have to be running. Private individuals can then film the rule violation with their smartphone and send the recording to the responsible authority.

If the fine, which is at least 350 US dollars, is paid, 25 percent of it goes to the respective complainant. According to SWR, Logan is one of them. He made 530 videos of climate sinners in March 2022 alone. “When I’m driving around town, my eyes and ears are completely fixed on trucks with the engines running,” he says.

So-called “idling” has been banned since the 1970s

With the premiums, New York wants to do something about the exhaust gases that are harmful to health and the environment in the already heavily trafficked city. The so-called “idling” – i.e. leaving the engine running at idle – has been forbidden since the 1970s, but it was not punished. This has changed since 2018. Repeat offenders face even higher penalties than the regular $350. The bounty for citizens like Logan is correspondingly high.

He also reports verbal and physical attacks, which he is not intimidated by. “I’ll definitely keep filming then,” explains the lawyer.

He films before work, during the lunch break and after work. According to Logan, he had already approached and informed the drivers before the bonus program – but with little success, as he says.

The current bounty hunt seems to be paying off for the city of New York. In 2021, she took in around $2.4 million in fines with her.

Utopia says: It is true that even small steps with little effort can make an important contribution to the environment – this also includes switching off the running engine when parking. However, it is questionable whether it is socially acceptable, as in New York, that private individuals should enforce a law on environmental protection. Given the potential for conflict between citizens, it seems a better idea for state authorities to report and prosecute violations themselves. In addition, the cause of air pollution in large cities must be addressed: the expansion of climate-friendly local transport and the end of dirty combustion engines.

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