The threat of extreme heat will intensify. Even United States President Obama has told us that the planet’s temperature is rising and that we must come to grips with that inevitability. The last decade was the hottest on record worldwide, and large cities are warming faster than the planet. Scientists predict that extreme heat events – already more deadly than all other weather-related events combined – will become more frequent. Extreme heat reduces productivity, exhausts greenery, compromises infrastructure, destroys property, and strains the economy and resources alike.
Extreme heat is here, in our region and city. The New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), a full-spectrum independent body that officially advises the Mayor, considers higher temperatures to be as great a risk as coastal flooding. NPCC projects up to a 5.7°F rise by mid-century, and antncipates that by the 2080s, there will be a rise of up to 8.8° F plus 50 days/year above 90°F.
