Report: NYC Faces Serious Impact from Climate Change

Alexis Rockman, "Manifest Destiny"

The Bloomberg-appointed Panel on Climate Change released its final report yesterday, predicting that annual temperatures will rise between 4 and 7.5 degrees over the next century, while heat waves, damaging rain, and coastal flooding will become increasingly regular occurrences. Here's a look at what the city may very well look like as heavy flooding becomes more frequent.

The report also estimates that sea levels could rise 12 to 23 inches by the end of the century, and by the 2020s levels may already be up 2 to 5 inches. In a press conference held to announce the report, the mayor told reporters, "Climate change is real and could have serious consequences for New York if we don't take action." Of course, this is the same mayor who authorized major residential rezoning along the Brooklyn waterfront, encouraging huge housing developments that will likely face devastating flooding in the coming years (if anyone ever moves in). This must-read Village Voice article from 2007 has more on the administration's waterfront short-sightedness.

A task force will now work on preparing city infrastructure for the various scenarios outlined in the report, but officials already expect to start moving critical equipment in city buildings above sea level (wherever that may be) and incorporate climate changes into future architectural designs. On the bright side, the catastrophic changes may eventually result in free housing for displaced New Yorkers in deluxe shipping containers.

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By John Del Signore in News on February 18, 2009 1:20 PM

Comments [rss]

Zyskandar A Jaimot

This panel and its conclusions was nominated for an ABSURD AWARD in the FRINGE FEST!!! IN POINT OF FACT - THE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE IS SUPPOSED TO DECREASE 3-5DEGREES F OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS FROM A PANEL OF ACCREDIRED SCIENTISTS - NOT BLOOMIES FECKLESS CHARLATANS!!! By most analysts we are heading into a mini-ICE-AGE due to the change in sunspot activity - not NOT MANMADE GLOBAL WARMING!!!

NannyState

I'll just move to 40 Bond and install a fantasy castle in the middle of my condo.

Past Taliban

God willing, NYC will be under 30 feet of SHIT, not ocean water.

ides_of_march

These clowns should be directing their efforts at figuring out how many of the those glass skyscrapers we have will withstand a major hurricane. NYC only gets them very rarely but we are due. The ones we had in the past occured before we had many of these glass structures.

Many years ago the Citicorp building had to be quickly re-inforced when an architecture student figured out it would fall over should a hurricane hit it from a particular direction the origianl planners hadn't considered.

Politburo

The student didn't figure anything out. The student's inquiries for a paper on the building led the engineer to re-examine the structure. There were several mistakes made at different levels of the project.

http://www.duke.edu/~hpgavin/ce131/citicorp1.htm

ides_of_march

The student sure figured out the right questions to ask.

fugothamist

i studied that case in college. apparently the way it was designed it would have toppled over like a tree..pretty sick

fugothamist

can't wait, soon i will have waterfront property!

babyhitler

so what does this mean for people living in posh brooklyn heights? will they be living like the little mermaid, under the sea?

Shinobi Shaw

Nice to see some enlighten folks who know about the hoax known as 'Climate Change.'

Wake up people, they are using this as an excuse to tax the hell out of the people and control every facet of your life (for example, taxing your carbon emissions, taxing you for how much water you are going to use etc.)

Joe Schumacher

This "hoax" is right up there with the earth is round, men walked on the moon, and germs cause diseases, right?

chris

Climate change is only meant to punish the sinners, ie those jerks that live/work on the waterfront. Don't fight it, embrace it. We all win with milder winters.

smacky

Does that mean the Yankees will move elsewhere?

pipsy

Maybe you all should get off this site and go read up on some science. It's a very real likelihood that all of this will happen and the city is dangerously far behind in preparing. Thank all those SUV drivers, women overproducing, and all that new construction releasing greenhouse gases!

longacre

That painting is on display at Hunter College, FYI. It's massive, probably 15 ft x 6 ft, and quite stunning, actually.

Gothampc

If none of this is happening until the end of the century, then why don't we just push it off for future generations to worry about like we're doing with the stimulus bill?

glennQNYC

x2!

glennQNYC

Who's to say warming would even be a NET negative... There are plenty of areas of the earth that would prosper from some warming.

Joe Schumacher

Who's to say warming would even be a NET negative...

I can answer this! Pretty much every scientist that has studied the issue thinks global warming will be a net negative.

Spirit of 76

Global warming doesn't mean the whole world gets hotter. You really should learn something about science. If you want a melodramatized Cliff Notes version, go ahead and rent The Day After Tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that climate change means there will be more extremes, not overall heating. More tornados, more hurricanes, hotter and drier in some places, colder, snowier or wetter in others. Only fools oversimplify the problem as "everyone gets warmer!"