Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Sea level rise in New York City

Over its long history, the Earth’s climate and sea levels have varied greatly from what they are today.  In the last century, both temperature and sea level have increased rapidly. In fact, the last decade has been the warmest on record, and the sea level is rising faster than it has in several thousand years.  As carbon dioxide levels continue to increase due to man’s burning of fossil fuels, temperatures and sea levels are projected to increase still further. By the end of the 21st century, global temperatures are predicted to rise between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Centigrade (3.2-7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) , and sea levels could be over 1 meter (more than 3 feet) higher than they are today.

Rising sea levels pose several significant risks to coastal cities around the globe.  These include rendering some residential areas either problematic, dangerous, or impossible;  making some coastal highways susceptible to frequent flooding; inundating marshes that protect coasts from surges caused by tropical storms; disrupting plans for waste management by overloading sewers and storm drains; and requiring evacuation plans to be revised to accommodate changed conditions.

New York City is a large metropolitan area; it is also a coastal city.  New York, together with its surrounding region, has recognized the environmental risks facing it.  New York is already responding to them. The report of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, released in 2010, describes the remedial actions New York is taking.

To learn more about how sea level has changed over time and what New York City is doing to prepare for higher sea levels, please click on the link to the “Sea and Sky NY Blog”. There you will find a more detailed and comprehensive treatment of the topics introduced in this post.

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

The Dominican Republic Takes Part in the Paris Climate Change Agreement

The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its geographic location and heavy dependence on agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The country is also prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, which are becoming more frequent and

CITY TECH BLOG

The Effects of Climate Change on Disease & Property Damage

Climate change is affecting people all over the world. I live in the United States of America and today, I’ll let you know how climate change is affecting us. One of the ways climate change is affecting us is the warmer temperatures. Rising temperatures increase the frequency, intensity,

CITY TECH BLOG

Rescue Our Community, Rescue Our Planet

Our water cycle, which refers to how water circulates on our globe, is being impacted by climate change. Dry areas are becoming drier while wet areas are becoming more wet. However, the amount of rain we receive now tends to come in more heavy downpours, increasing the risk