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Post Malone, Doja Cat and more to Headline Global Citizen Festival…and Governor Hochul Has Been Invited to Sign the TREES Act in Front of 60,000 Concertgoers
New York – On September 28, an estimated 60,000 concertgoers will descend on Central Park’s Great Lawn for the Global Citizen Festival in New York City. Attendees will get the chance to see international acts such as Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, and Jelly Roll perform, while calling for urgent action on climate change, the global hunger crisis, and extreme poverty. Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman will host the event.
This year, Global Citizen has included Environmental Advocates NY as an NGO partner of the festival, and is highlighting New York’s Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act as part of its campaigning. The TREES Act, which would stop taxpayer money from being used to destroy tropical rainforests, has passed both chambers of the state legislature and will become law if Governor Kathy Hochul signs it.
Governor Hochul has been invited to make a commitment to sign the bill into law during the festival. Global Citizen’s petition urging the Governor to sign the TREES Act has already garnered more than 10,000 signatures:
Governor Hochul, your leadership in signing the TREES Act into law will protect our planet and equip New York businesses with the tools they need to thrive in a competitive, ethical, and environmentally conscious market. This is our chance to make New York a national leader in environmental and economic sustainability.
We don’t yet know if the Governor will accept the invitation to attend the festival or to sign the bill. Hochul vetoed similar legislation in 2023; however, changes have been made to the bill in order to address her concerns.
If the Governor signs the TREES Act, New York will become the first U.S. state to prohibit public funds from contributing to tropical deforestation in the Amazon, helping to preserve critically important forest lands that remove carbon from the atmosphere.
“Deforestation is one of the largest drivers of climate change, and that’s why Governor Hochul needs to sign the NY TREES Act,” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, executive director of EANY. “Our Governor has said she’s proud of her environmental achievements, and the TREES Act will solidify her reputation, and New York’s, for climate leadership. By signing the bill into law in Central Park on September 28th, the Governor has a chance to publicly uphold her commitment to sustainability — among 60,000 New Yorkers who will be proud to join her in that historic moment.”
"Measures like the NY TREES Act represent emblematic and impactful steps that subnational governments can take to catalyze systemic changes to better protect important places for people and wildlife,” said Chris Jordan, director Latin America director, Re:wild. “The Amazon is one of those places, and its protection is critical for the entire world. As a global community, we need to do everything we can to help curb deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon—95% of which is caused by cattle ranching—one of the key commodities included in this Act and similar legislation around the world."
"At the Global Citizen Festival, Governor Hochul has an opportunity to publicly elevate New York’s climate leadership while also demonstrating that such action can strengthen New York’s economy,” said Bob Rossi, Executive Director of the New York Sustainable Business Council. “While curbing tropical deforestation, the TREES Act will increase procurement from New York businesses and encourage statewide job creation and economic resilience against international supply chain disruptions."
“It is great to see New York State once again setting an example for the rest of the country,” said David Levine, President and Cofounder of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC). “ASBC and its association members collectively represent over 200,000 businesses. These businesses demonstrate that good business practices can also provide environmental and public health benefits. We look forward to the signing of the TREES Act, which will encourage such business practices, protect tropical rainforests, and reclaim New York’s leadership on climate.”
“While the climate crisis wreaks havoc across the globe, everyday we lose more and more of our planet’s crucial tropical forest,” said Jeff Conant, Senior International Forests Program Manager with Friends of the Earth. “By signing the NY TREES Act, Gov. Hochul can help stave off this devastation to our environment and show the world what true, state-level climate leadership looks like.”
“The TREES Act being featured at the 2024 Global Citizen Festival is an important moment for the state of New York,” said Marcus Sibley, National Wildlife Federation's Northeast NY Metro Director of Conservation Partnerships. “Working together is the only way we’ll ensure the protection of the people, wildlife, trees, and plants inhabiting our planet, so we’re honored to join forces with this annual event that enlists global entertainment icons and the unifying power of music, to inspire individuals and demand leaders to take urgent climate and justice actions.”
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