The Mayor's office released a new report today that spells out fears we've had for a long time. Climate change projections reveal that by the year 2080 New York City will experience average temperature increases of 4 to 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The number of days where temperatures over 90 degrees will increase by increase by "approximately 2.5 to 4 times more." Annual precipitation will increase by 5 to 10 percent. Frequent and intense coastal flooding will also occur. Sea levels will rise by 12 to 23 inches. That is the conservative estimate. Studies show that ice melting from Greenland and Antarctica is happening at an increasingly faster rate and levels could possibly rise as much as 41 to 55 inches by 2080.
Complied by the New York City Panel on Climate Change, the report also details the expected impact on infrastructure. We can look forward to more frequent power outages along with fluctuations in voltage which will damage equipment. There will be a decrease in water quality and more street, housing and sewer flooding. That leads to even more delays on public transit systems. The degradation of area water system will put a strain on upstate reservoirs, not to mention local wetlands and low-lying areas, which will suffer from an encroachment of saltwater in freshwater ecosystems.
This makes the financial crisis look like a walk in the park.
In 2080, I'd be 129 years old so I'm not going to worry about it.
Posted by: Jerrold | February 19, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Should I sell my first floor apartment now?
Posted by: Vanessa | March 23, 2009 at 02:00 PM