New York facing more heat waves and rising sea-levels this century

New York will become warmer and experience higher sea-levels as this century unfolds, a major new report on Climate Change has warned.

New York City Image by Steve Parker / CC BY 2.0

The city is already feeling the impact of such change which will get worse as the decades roll by, according to a panel of scientific experts. The Huffington Post reports that this year’s report from the New York City Panel on Climate Change warns the most populous city in the US will experience more frequent heat waves as well as extreme precipitation events – predictions that are in line with other national and international observations.

In the past 115 years, New York’s average annual temperatures that are measured in Central Park, have risen by 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit. These are projected to go up by between 5.3 to 8.8 degrees Fahrenheit before 2080. Around the turn of the last century, the average annual temperature in New York was 54 degrees, with predictions that it will go up by 4.1- to 5.7-degree by 2050.

The greater challenge to citizens may come from the rise in sea levels along its coast. It now averages about 1.2 inches every ten years since 1900 which translates at over a foot overall – almost twice the average rate around the world. Greenhouse gas emissions over the coming years is expected to accelerate the process which expands the oceans and melts land-based ice caps and glaciers. New York mayor Bill de Blasio said there was a daunting task at hand for the city but he pledged unprecedented commitment to reduce emissions by 80% over the next 35 years.