Climate Change in NYC: The Rising Seas’ Impact on New Yorkers and Daily Commutes

Hannah C. Khanshali, Kemila Chasva, Sri T. Gulumuru, and NFN Roman Department of English, The City College of New York
ENGL 21003: Writing for The Sciences
Prof. Caitlin Geoghan
March 22, 2021

As the years go by, climate change becomes an urgent and pressing issue around the globe for a valid reason: it is progressively getting worse. The changing climate and the warming of the earth have been shown to be a direct result of the release of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, which is a product of the combustion of fossil fuels. Global warming has a variety of adverse effects, a large one being rising sea levels, an issue destined to hurt New York City in the future if it is not mitigated globally and locally. Rising sea levels can lead to a surplus of dangers to citizens and its infrastructures that residents profoundly rely on daily. However, all hope is not lost as government officials take initiatives to combat rising sea-levels and slow the rate of rising sea- levels. There are also steps we can take as a city of commuters to reduce the foreboding future.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the sea level rise is caused mainly by two factors: one, the melting of glaciers and ice sheets which is adding more water to the ocean, and two, as the ocean waters warm, they expand in volume (NOAA, 2021). New York is a coastal city, and rising sea levels pose significant threats to infrastructure, such as subways, tunnels, bridges, houses, and buildings. The sea levels on New York’s coast have already risen a foot since 1900 (Department of Environmental Conservation, 2014). According to the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency by New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC NYC, 2019), by 2050, “37% of buildings in lower Manhattan will be at risk from storm surge” (par.6). That is only 29 years from now and is approaching abruptly. Storm surge effects have been felt by New Yorkers, especially during Hurricane Sandy. The damage New York faced during Hurricane Sandy was horrific; According to a Sandy timeline by Sarah Kaufman, Carson Qing, Nolan Levenson and Melinda Hanson at New York

University (NYU, 2012), MTA Chairman Joe Lhota remarked that the damage from Sandy was the worst damage the MTA has ever experienced, “All seven East River subway tunnels were flooded. Major damage and flooding reported at South Ferry/ Whitehall Street, Bowling Green, Broad Channel subway stations, and at the rail yards at 207th Street and 148th Street uptown.” (p.8) This damage from flooding is very probable for the near future if we cannot control the rising seas and mitigate climate change. As the sea levels continue to rise, the risk of flooding grows greater and greater. According to the journal article Rising Hazard of Storm-Surge Flooding (2017) by Stefan Rahmstorf, the flooding risk is caused almost entirely by the rising seas. Rahmstorf expresses that “As already found in a predecessor study, what used to be a once-in-500-y flood in preindustrial times has already become a once-in-25-y flood in the modern era, thanks to past local sea- level rise” (p.11807). This is a tremendous increase in the risk of a significant flood and does not bode well for New York City; we must adapt and act for change, or we could be risking property, health, and our wellbeing. A new study even predicts that in 30 years, these once-in-500-y floods could become once-in-5-y floods (Rahmstorf, 2017).

Hurricane Sandy revealed how vulnerable NYC, especially Lower Manhattan is, and if we do not act on ending/mitigating climate change, we are at a great risk. Extreme coastal flooding during Hurricane Sandy negatively affected about 400 buildings and over 21,000 homes (EDC 2019). There was great damage to subways and other modes of transportation, power supply, and water/sewer systems in Lower Manhattan. The amount of stormwater and sewage during Sandy overwhelmed the NYC wastewater treatment system; the EDC notes in their Climate Resilience Study (2019) that this caused “5.2 billion gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage to be discharged into the City’s waterways” (p.13). To protect our city, the safety of New Yorkers, the efficiency of the MTA subways, buses, NYC ferries, and coastal homes, we must act towards legislation that limits carbon emissions, while implementing short-term solutions that prevent flooding and damage.

The Audience: New York City Residents and Commuters

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) revised, after hurricane sandy, mapping of the flood risk of the New York City, the land at risk of flooding was 45 percent larger than the previously anticipated thirty-three square miles of the Big Apple that fell within the hundred-year floodplain—which has a 1 percent risk of a flood in any given year. This revised mapping reveals that around 400,000 are living on the hundred year floodplain with the prospect of being swamped by floods (Steinberg, 2014). This hundred year floodplain includes Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront, the East and South Shores of Staten Island, South Queens, Southern Brooklyn, and Southern Manhattan (Kennedy, 2014). This area and its residents are very likely to flood, as previously struck by Sandy in late October 2012. These stats don’t remain unvarying. There will be more than 800,000 New York residents living in a flood zone covering around one-fourth of the New York City area (Peltz, 2013).

The average weekday subway and bus ridership, according to the MTA, in New York City in 2019 is 5,881,950 (“Subway and Bus”). During the preparations and aftereffects for Hurricane Sandy, subways and buses were closed, leaving more than 5 million mostly carless daily riders on their own to get to higher ground (Peltz & Hays, 2012). If the situation repeats, this time there will be as many as 6 million struggling from going through daily life through the subways with its flooding.

According to Garfield, the number of commuters on the average day that pour into Manhattan doubles Manhattan’s population from 1.6 million to 3.1 million (2018). The after effect of Hurricane Sandy left the all of Manhattan isolated from other boroughs with all of the road tunnels to Manhattan, except the Lincoln Tunnel, being flooded and closed, as were subway tunnels under the East River and the PATH subway system (Donohue, 2012). If affected by calamities like Hurricane Sandy now, not only the 1.6 population of Manhattan but the rest of the 1.5 million would be hindered from going through their daily activities requiring commuting to or through Manhattan. The LIRR was closed for almost a week during Hurricane Sandy’s flooding (“LIRR Continues”, 2012). With regard to the 2019 statistics on LIRR’s weekly riders, there will be almost 2 million travelers intercepted from using the train for work or other purposes.

The target audience for this issue and information are New York commuters and residents that take NYC subways or any form of NYC public transportation. However, overall, the whole population of New York City is faced with the same struggles as happened during Hurricane Sandy. Not only 6 million Public transportation users around New York and commuters to Manhattan, but with the majority of bridges, tunnels and major roadways closed as in the case with Hurricane Sandy, the Whole New York City population of 19 million will be in a state of berserk with most of the transportation closed for at least a week with a halt to daily life (Donohue, 2012).

How the Issue and the Audience Connect: What New Yorkers and Government Officials Can do to Mitigate the Issues

With the pressing concern of rising sea-levels in New York City, there is a demand for involvement from New York City residents in reducing the chances of rising sea-levels. The future of rising sea-levels occurring in the city is inevitable; however, there are ways to prevent and reduce those chances. A multitude of resources are available for the public on how to combat the rising sea-level. There are many natural disasters like floods, drought, heavy rain that are caused due to climate change in addition to agriculture and food production.

Even if greenhouse emissions were to stop, sea levels would continue to rise as a product of global warming. Two solutions best fit as a resolution for New York City. Since NYC is characterized as a coastal city, coastal cities should install drainage systems and build up seawalls. The following solution is existing greenhouse gases must be removed from the atmosphere since carbon insulation captures and stores CO2 underground.

The New York City mayor has caught the light on climate change’s extremity and the city’s future. Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced a climate change-focused infrastructure effort. The project would extend lower manhattan two blocks into the east river and cost as much as 10 billion (Chen, 2019). “We don’t debate global warming in New York City. Not anymore,” wrote de Blasio in a post in New York Magazine (Chen, 2019). “The only question is where to build the barriers to protect us from rising seas and the inevitable next storm, and how fast we can build them.” (par. 2). The plan also includes more projects costing around $500 million, including resiliency measures like elevating parks and building removable flood barriers in lower Manhattan that can be used when a storm approaches (Chen, 2019). The new development will be the latest of the city’s efforts to protect itself from climate change. Other initiatives include a five-mile seawall around Staten Island and dunes around the Rockaways.

As citizens of NY, we can also take initiatives from our homes to fight rising sea-levels. One of the most effective forms is to become carbon neutral. The average American emits 16 tons of CO2 a year. According to Arbor Environmental Alliance, 100 mangrove trees can absorb 2.18 metric tons of CO2 annually. The average American would need to plant 734 mangrove trees to offset one year’s worth of CO2. At $0.10 a tree, that would cost $73. The United Nations program Climate Neutral Now also allows you to offset your emissions by purchasing credits. These credits fund green initiatives, such as wind or solar power plants in developing countries. We can also reduce food waste. The Drawdown Coalition estimated that 26.2 gigatons of CO2 emissions would be avoided if food waste was reduced by 50% (Amadeo, 2020). Lastly, there is a way to reduce fossil fuel use; this includes more mass transit, biking, and electric vehicles. Or keep your car but maintain it and keep the tires inflated, change the air filter, and drive under 60 miles per hour (Amadeo, 2020). There is a necessity to pressure corporations to disclose and act on their climate-related risks. Since 1988, 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. The worst are ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and Chevron. These four companies contribute 6.49% alone. We have to hold the government accountable. Each year, $2 trillion is invested in building new energy infrastructure. The International Energy Administration said that governments control 70% of that (Amadeo, 2020).

As time passes by, climate change and the issues that stem from it are continuously becoming worse. Rising sea levels will be detrimental to New York and its infrastructure, changing New Yorkers’ daily lives. Commuters and New York residents must be aware of these issues and fight for legislation to mitigate climate change and the after-effects in order to ensure safety for all New Yorkers.

References

Amadeo, K. (2020). Rising Sea Level Effects, Projections, and Solutions.The Balance.     https://www.thebalance.com/sea-level-rise-and-climate-change-4158037

Chen, A. (2019). NYC mayor has a $10 billion plan to protect Manhattan from rising seas. The Verge.https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/14/18265833/new-york-city-climate-change-sea-level-rise-bill-de-blasio-development

Hurricanes and Climate Change. (n.d.). Hurricanes and Climate Change.Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. https://www.c2es.org/content/hurricanes-and-climate-change/

Donohue, P. (2019, January 10). Hurricane Sandy shuts down transportation, nearly every bridge, tunnel and major roadway closed . New York Daily News. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/holland-battery-tunnels-close-2-p-m-article-1.11 94698.

EDC NYC. (n.d.). Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency. (March 22, 2021) https://edc.nyc/project/lower-manhattan-coastal-resiliency

EDC NYC. (2019, March). Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study. Retrieved March 2021. https://edc.nyc/sites/default/files/filemanager/Projects/LMCR/Final_Image/Lower_Manh attan_Climate_Resilience_March_2019.pdf

LIRR Continues on Modified Schedule Friday, Nov. 9. MTA. (n.d.). https://www.mta.info/news/2012/10/30/lirr-continues-modified-schedule-friday-nov-9.

NOAA Climate.gov. Future Flood Zones for New York City. (2014, March 18). https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/future-flood-zones-new-york-ciy.

Peltz, J. (2013, June 11). Report: Fourth of NYC Could be Flood Zone by 2050s. NBC New York.https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/new-fema-flood-map-nyc-800000-residen ts-flood-zones-by-2050/1997841/.

Peltz, J., Hays, T., & Press, A. (2018, June 13). NYC waters rise to Irene levels before superstorm. New York Daily News.https://www.nydailynews.com/sdut-nyc-waters-rise-to-irene-levels-before-superstorm-20 12oct29-story.html.

Steinberg, T. (2014, August 11). Can New York City survive the sea? Dissent Magazine.https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/can-new-york-city-survive-the-sea.

Subway and bus ridership for 2019. MTA. (n.d). https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2019.

Rahmstorf, S. (2017). Rising hazard of storm-surge flooding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(45), 11806-11808. doi:10.2307/26485672

Kaufman, S., Qing, C., Levenson, N., & Hanson, M. (2012, November).Transportation During and After Hurricane Sandy. (March 21, 2021. https://wagner.nyu.edu/files/rudincenter/sandytransportation.pdf

Impacts of climate change in New York. (n.d.). Retrieved (March 21, 2021). https://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/94702.html

Lindsay, R. (2021, January 25). Climate change: Global sea Level: NOAA Climate.gov. (March 22, 2021). https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea- level