Guardian UK
Irene-like storms of the future would put a third of New York City streets under water and flood many of the tunnels leading into Manhattan in under an hour because of climate change, a new state government report warns Wednesday.
Sea level rise due to climate change would leave lower Manhattan dangerously exposed to flood surges during major storms, the report, which looks at the impact of climate change across the entire state of New York, warns.
The report, commissioned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said the effects of sea level rise and changing weather patterns would be felt as early as the next decade.
By the mid-2020s, sea level rise around Manhattan and Long Island could be up to 10 inches, assuming the rapid melting of polar sea ice continues. By 2050, sea-rise could reach 2.5ft and more than 4.5ft by 2080 under the same conditions.
The report, which was two years in the making, was intended to help the New York state government factor climate change into long-term planning to protect transport, water and sewage systems.
And floods are not the only potential danger of climate change. The report notes that New York could face average annual temperature rises of up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of this century and by as much as 9 degrees by 2080.
Hotter temperatures would have effect across the state with those vulnerable without air conditioning unable to tolerate the temperate rises and having heat stokes. New York's wine and agriculture industries would be affected. Spruce and Fir trees would disappear from the Catskills and popular apple varieties would decline.
Is having Manhattan underwater what it will take for people in the US to wrap their minds around the idea of climate change and make some real changes in their lives? There is a simple, fast solution to climate change and we all can participate. In fact, it requires that most of us participate. What will it take for most of us to realize that the solution to climate change will require our participation.
Are you waiting for some kind of international agreement to require that you change your life? Good luck with that. When and if an international agreement is reached it would probably not address the fast solutions that are needed and be too late to prevent the worst effects of climate change.