New York State Climate Action Plan Interim Report
New York Governor Paterson announced the release of the New York State Climate Action Plan Interim Report this week. The Interim Report has been posted for public comment through February 7, 2011.
The Report details increases in GHGs and related increases in temperatures and sea level over the years stating "because the added GHGs will remain in the atmosphere for centuries and some parts of the climate system respond gradually, awareness is growing that some additional climate changes are inevitable. Responses to climate change have grown beyond a focus solely on mitigating the amount of GHGs released into the atmosphere to include adaptation measures that minimize and prepare for the effects of anticipated climate change."
The Report notes that, because many GHGs remain in the atmosphere for hundreds and even thousands of years and there is also a lag in the impacts of GHGs, even if no additional GHGs are added to the atmosphere there will continue to be some global warming. If there is a failure to curtail GHGs there will be even greater impacts.
"It is important to note that the most severe effects, or “Abrupt and Major Irreversible Changes,” may be prevented if the rise in global average temperature is limited to approximately 3.6°F (2°C). Climate change impacts also depend upon the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of natural systems and human populations. Effective management of climate change risks requires policy and decision makers to take flexible, yet significant and sustained actions to reduce GHG emissions and build the state’s resiliency to climate change impacts; to learn from new research, monitoring data and scientific assessments; and to adjust future actions accordingly."
The report discusses projections for increases in temperatures in New York and sea level rise which, in a worst case scenario, could be as much as 55 inches by 2080 in the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island. Along with global warming and increases in sea level extreme weather events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity.
The Report calls for a "portfolio of policies" to reduce GHGs by 80% in 2050. "There are a number of policies —particularly in the Buildings, Industry, and Transportation sectors —that represent cost-effective ways to take a meaningful step toward a low-carbon future. These “No Regrets” policies, which are primarily efficiency policies, could represent options for early action. Further analysis of benefits and costs, and strategies to finance and/or fund will be needed....to break our dependence on finite fossil-fuel resources, the State will need to continue to strategically advance low-carbon energy supply-side policies and infrastructure investments, particularly focusing on policies that provide significant co-benefits to New Yorkers (e.g., improvements in local air quality, opportunities for economic development and job creation)."
-Steven Silverberg
