Figuring out how to get people involved, he said, was the task at hand. Bloomberg, who has made environmental issues a central theme of his office, has made slow but steady progress on his green initiative PlaNYC. When you talk about what emissions are going to do to the earth in 50 years, “most people unfortunately don’t care,” he said. He went on to say that it’s more effective to frame the argument for improving policy in terms of how people’s lives are affected today — and that goes as much for the air they’re breathing as for the money in their pockets.” Capitalism works,” Bloomberg said. “When you build parks, they enhance property values. When you plant trees, they enhance property values.”