NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani talks AI data centers, floods and Trump at Climate Week

During Climate Week NYC, Mayor Zohran Mamdani sat down with podcast host Garrison Hayes in front of a live audience at The New School’s Tishman Auditorium. He warned that the nationwide boom in AI data-center construction is driving up energy consumption and resource use, turning a tech story into a pressing household climate concern. Mamdani recounted that, in his ten-month tenure, the city faces flash-flood emergencies on about one out of every three days, a statistic he says illustrates how climate change is reshaping daily life.

He argued that climate messaging must move beyond a luxury issue, pointing to rising insurance costs and aging flood infrastructure as tangible impacts on residents. The mayor also addressed his occasional dialogues with Donald Trump, emphasizing that despite political differences, both share a commitment to helping New York City. The event, organized with one outlet, Capital B and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, aimed to connect climate, technology and politics ahead of the midterm elections.