New York City is the first city in the United States to eliminate processed meats.

Mayor Bill de Blasio approved an ambitious $14 billion Green New Deal on Monday, April 22, to combat climate change. The plan will cut purchases of red meat by 50 percent in its city-controlled facilities such as hospitals, schools, and correctional facilities. The new commitment builds off of the Meatless Mondays campaign that was adopted by all NYC schools in 2017.

“It is a difficult plan. It is a necessary plan.... Estimates that tell us that we have only 12 years to get it right. Let’s be clear, we have until 2030 to change things fundamentally, or our lives won’t be the same,” de Blasio said at an Earth Day event yesterday.

By 2030, New York City's Green New Deal will reduce greenhouse emissions by 30% while also creating new jobs. Additionally, all buildings that are 25,000 square feet or more, of which there are 50,000 citywide, will be required to make efficiency upgrades that lower their energy usage and emissions or they will face steep penalties.

More details on the Green New Deal can be found here.

Photo: Getty