As the Earth’s system warms, New York City will experience the effects of several climatic hazards, including extreme heat, increased precipitation and riparian flooding, and sea-level rise. Sea-level rise greatly exacerbated the damage and destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy, and coastal flooding during all future storms, whether or not they are made more severe by a warmer atmosphere, will be launched from higher coastal waters. Mark Lowery will examine the global phenomena that cause the world’s ocean waters to rise and the local factors that mean New York’s tidal waters will rise even faster than the global average. Lowery will describe the implications of rising waters for public infrastructure, human health and safety, and natural systems, including wildlife, and he will describe regulatory and nonregulatory approaches New York State is taking to reduce the risks associated with sea-level rise. Mark Lowery is a climate policy analyst in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Office of Climate Change. He led the effort to adopt New York State’s sea-level rise projection regulation and is coordinating implementation of the State Community Risk and Resiliency Act.
