ClimateChangeAdaptationinNewYorkCity:BuildingaRiskManagementResponse

ClimatechangehasthepotentialtoaffecteverydaylifeinNewYorkCity.Environmentalconditionsasweexperiencethemtodaywillshift,exposingthecityanditsresidentstonewhazardsandheightenedrisks;wewillbechallengedbyincreasingtemperatures,changesinprecipitationpatterns,risingsealevels,andmoreintenseandfrequentextremeevents.Whilemitigationactionsthatreducegreenhousegasemissionswillhelptodecreasethemagnitudeandimpactoffuturechanges,theywillnotpreventclimatechangefromoccurringaltogether.Giventheimpactsofclimatechangeandthehighcostsandlong–termplanningneededtoadapteffectively,itisessentialthatinvestmentsbemadetodaytobegintheadaptationprocess.Takingactionnowwilllimitdamagesandcoststhroughthecomingdecadesand,inmanycases,canprovideneartermbenefitsandoperationalcostsavings.PreparedbytheNewYorkCityPanelonClimateChange,thisreportoutlinestheneedforearlyandongoingadaptationactionsinNewYorkandsuggestsapproachestocreateaneffectiveadaptationprogram.NewYorkCityPanelonClimateChangeCynthiaRosenzweig(co–chair),NASAGoddardInstituteforSpaceStudies(NASAGISS)/ColumbiaUniversityEarthInstituteCenterforClimateSystemsResearch(ColumbiaEICCSR)WilliamSolecki(co–chair),CUNYInstituteforSustainableCitiesatHunterCollege(CUNYCISC)ReginaldBlake,CUNY,NewYorkCityCollegeofTechnologyMalcolmBowman,SUNY,StonyBrookAndrewCastaldi,SwissReinsuranceAmericaCorporationCraigFaris,AccentureVivienGornitz,NASAGoddardInstituteforSpaceStudiesKlausJacob,ColumbiaEarthInstituteAliceLeBlanc,ConsultantRobinLeichenko,RutgersUniversityMeganLinkin,SwissReinsuranceAmericaCorporationEdnaSussman,SussmanADR,LCCGaryYohe,WesleyanUniversityRaeZimmerman,NewYorkUniversitySciencePlanningTeamMeganO′Grady(ProjectManager),ColumbiaEICCSRLesleyPatrick(ProjectManager),CUNYCISCDavidMajor(Lead,AdaptationPlanning),ColumbiaEICCSRRadleyHorton(Lead,ClimateScience),ColumbiaEICCSR/NASAGISSDanielBader,ColumbiaEICCSRRichardGoldberg,ColumbiaEICCSRMichaelBrady,CUNYCISCMayor′sOfficeofLong–termPlanning&SustainabilityAdamFreed,DeputyDirectorAaronKoch,PolicyAdvisorNOTE:Annalsvolumesareavailableforsaleasindividualbooksorasajournal.Forinformationoninstitutionaljournalsubscriptions,pleasevisitwww.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas.ACADEMYMEMBERS:PleasecontacttheNewYorkAcademyofSciencesdirectlytoplaceyourorder(www.nyas.org).MembersoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciencereceivefull–textaccesstotheAnnalsonlineanddiscountsonprintvolumes.Pleasevisithttp://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspxformoreinformationaboutbecomingamember.