Photo: Flickr, Adam Lerner
In a new report issued Tuesday by the New York City Panel on Climate Change, scientists found climate change could hit New York with higher temperatures, dramatically rising sea levels, more rainfall and flooding, the Daily News reports.
The panel--a group of leading scientists assembled by the city-- predicts that by mid-century, the city could get five to seven heat waves a year compared to two currently, and the number of days over 90 degrees could double. The mercury is expected to crack 100 three to five days a year, compared to less than once every year.
Ultimately, average temperatures could jump nearly 9 degrees by 2080, rainfall could increase 13 percent and sea levels, precipitating an increasing number of massive floods-- currently predicted every 100 years but dramatically increasing in duration to every eight years. Queens will be the most at risk for floods, followed by Brooklyn.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, from 2005 levels by 2050, mostly by rehabbing buildings to be more energy efficient. Other changes include:
- $335 million flood protection system for the Lower East Side;
- $100 million worth of shoreline upgrades in Coney Island; and4.15 million cubic yards of sand added to city beaches; and
- 4.15 million cubic yards of sand added to city beaches.
Dan Zarrilli, director of the Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency, said the projections are under the assumption that we do not act: "The good news here is that we as a city are continuing to act."
