
(New York, NY) — Anything goes in the real estate world, and after the things we’ve covered here at brokerpulse.com, nothing should come as a surprise to you. However, this statistic will undoubtedly leave your jaw dropped.
Manhattan’s Luxury buildings are known for their high price tags, wealthy shoppers, and over-the-top amenities. Pretty cool, right? Well, what if we told you they were was also the biggest contributors to the city’s carbon footprint?
That’s right, buildings such as One57, the Trump Tower, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, 666 Fifth Avenue, the Baccarat Hotel, and 15 Central Park West make up 50 percent of the city’s CO2 pollution.
A shocking statistic considering these buildings make up just 2 percent of NYC’s buildings.
Advocacy groups including New York Communities for Change compared public data that analyzed the median energy use for buildings in New York and found that the biggest contributors are these luxurious towers. The following numbers are measured in kilo British thermal units (kBtu).
Median energy use for buildings, homes, and schools in NYC (per square foot)…
Office buildings,186 kBtu.
Multifamily homes, 125 kBtu.
Public schools, 112 kBtu.
Median energy use for luxury buildings in NYC (per square foot)…

157 West 57th Street | Shutterstock
One57, 287 kBtu.

721 Fifth Avenue, New York | Photo, NYT
Trump Tower, 208 kBtu.

1 Central Park West, New York | Photo, Booking.com
The Trump International Hotel & Tower, 267 kBtu.

666 Fifth Avenue
666 Fifth Avenue, 285 kBtu.

15 Central Park West, 222 kBtu.

Building: Baccarat Hotel & Residences 20 West 53rd Street, New York | StreetEasy
Baccarat Hotel, 386 kBtu.
According to the huffingtonpost.com, advocacy groups want the city to mandate 80 percent cuts to emissions and energy use by 2050.
“It’s the Trumps and the Kushners that are polluting this city,” said Pete Sikora, the senior adviser at New York Communities for Change. However, the power of the city’s real estate lobby will be a hard obstacle to overcome. In 2016, the real estate lobby launched a campaign opposing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mandate to cut emissions from privately-owned buildings. With donations in the millions, the real estate industry continues to have the support of many New York State candidates and party committees.