Responding to Climate Change in New York City and Around the World

Gail Karlsson, New York City Coordinator for the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development, organized and moderated a September 23 panel discussion on  "Responding to Climate Change in New York City and Around the World."

Cynthia Rosenzweig, Co-Chair of the New York City Panel on Climate Change and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented the results of a study on New York City Climate Risk Information. The study found that rising sea levels and extreme weather events are likely to cause flooding of low-lying areas. www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2009/NPCC_CRI.pdf

Bo Lim, Special Climate Advisor at the UN Development Programme, described the impacts of sea level rise on other low-lying countries. For example, most islands in the Maldives are barely one metre above sea level and are expected to be inundated under the predicted worst case sea level rise scenario.  

Aaron Koch, Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability outlined the City's planning process for responding to climate change risks, and Cristiana Fragole, Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives at the NYC Housing Authority described climate change mitigation initiatives being undertaken by NYCHA.

A slide show showing projected flooding risks in New York City, attached below, was produced by Nancy Owens Studio LLC, Laurel Marx Design, and Gail Karlsson.