Summary

Climate change has the potential to affect everyday life in New York City. Environmental conditions as we experience them today will shift, exposing the city and its residents to new hazards and heightened risks; we will be challenged by increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and more intense and frequent extreme events. While mitigation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions will help to decrease the magnitude and impact of future changes, they will not prevent climate change from occurring altogether. Given the impacts of climate change and the high costs and long-term planning needed to adapt effectively, it is essential that investments be made today to begin the adaptation process. Taking action now will limit damages and costs through the coming decades and, in many cases, can provide near term benefits and operational cost savings. Prepared by the New York City Panel on Climate Change, this report outlines the need for early and ongoing adaptation actions in New York and suggests approaches to create an effective adaptation program.

New York City Panel on Climate Change
Cynthia Rosenzweig (co-chair), NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS)/Columbia University
Earth Institute Center for Climate Systems Research (Columbia EI CCSR)
William Solecki (co-chair), CUNYInstitute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College (CUNY CISC)
Reginald Blake , CUNY, New York City College of Technology
Malcolm Bowman , SUNY, Stony Brook
Andrew Castaldi , Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation
Craig Faris , Accenture
Vivien Gornitz , NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Klaus Jacob , Columbia Earth Institute
Alice LeBlanc , Consultant
Robin Leichenko , Rutgers University
Megan Linkin , Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation
Edna Sussman , SussmanADR, LCC
Gary Yohe , Wesleyan University
Rae Zimmerman , New York University

Science Planning Team
Megan O'Grady (Project Manager), Columbia EI CCSR
Lesley Patrick (Project Manager), CUNY CISC
David Major (Lead, Adaptation Planning), Columbia EI CCSR
Radley Horton (Lead, Climate Science), Columbia EI CCSR/NASA GISS
Daniel Bader , Columbia EI CCSR
Richard Goldberg , Columbia EI CCSR
Michael Brady , CUNY CISC

Mayor's Office of Long-term Planning & Sustainability
Adam Freed , Deputy Director
Aaron Koch , Policy Advisor

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