New York

Global climate change poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures, more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population growth, land-use changes, and pollution.

Climate Change in New York

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• By 2100 temperatures in New York could increase about 4°F in winter and spring, and slightly more in summer and fall (with a range of 2-8°F).
• Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses. New York, with its irregular, intense heat waves, could be especially susceptible.
• There is concern that climate change could increase concentrations of ground-level ozone. For example, high temperatures, strong sunlight, and stable air masses tend to increase urban ozone levels. If a warmed climate causes increased use of air conditioners, air pollutant emissions from power plants also will increase. Ground-level ozone has been shown to aggravate existing respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reduce lung function, and induce respiratory inflammation. In addition, ambient ozone reduces agricultural crop yields and impairs ecosystem health.
• Along much of New York’s coast, sea level already is rising 10 inches per century, and it is likely to rise another 22 inches by 2100.
• New York has one of the most urbanized coastlines in the United States. Over 20 million people use New York’s beaches and coastal regions for recreation each year. New York has been successful at preventing major permanent losses of its beaches and urban coastline, but sites such as Long Island continue to suffer from chronic beach erosion. Long Island’s south shore, which is made up of barrier islands, barrier spits, ponds, and sand beaches, could suffer extensive damage from sea level rise and coastal storms. sea level rise update
• Protecting New York’s coast would require significant resources and planning. For example, Manhattan’s 29-mile coast probably could be protected by raising existing bulkheads and sea walls at a cumulative cost of $30-$140 million for a 1-3 foot rise in sea level. The costs of raising existing bulkheads already have begun to accrue, and they could continue throughout the next century.

The above are based on from the Environmental Protection Agency's report on climate change, which uses data from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001).

For more info on climate change impacts on New York in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

New York is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.

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Maps

See CO2 output by sector, coastal population maps, and maps of regional initiatives.

Regional Initiatives

In the absence of federal action, many U.S. states are banding together to explore and employ greenhouse gas-reducing policies.

New York participates in the following:

Eastern Climate Registry (ECR)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

Learn about climate initiatives in all U.S. states and regions

Your Impact

Estimate your CO2 footprint by using a carbon calculator such as the one on the Inconvenient Truth web site.

How green is your energy? The EPA has a power profiler that can tell you.