New York City Adapts To Deal with Projected Increase of Heat Waves

Assess climate vulnerability within Climate Risk Information Report (2013)

• New York City (NYC) derived temperature and precipitation projections using a matrix of 35 Global Climate Model simulations under two Representative Concentration Pathways.
• NYC analysis identified an average baseline of 2 heat waves per year between 1970-2000. Under the 90th percentile high estimate, the number of heat waves could increase to up to 7 per year by 2050 and the number of days over 90°F could triple from an 18 average baseline to 57 by 2050.
• NYC Incorporated this climate risk within local hazard mitigation plans and supported actions to reduce vulnerability and adapt to climate changes.

• USGCRP provides simulations for projected precipitation change.
• National Climate Assessment assesses the science of climate change and variability and its impacts across the US.

Promoted resiliency to current extreme conditions, particularly for vulnerable populations

• NYC promotes resiliency through outreach efforts to particularly vulnerable populations including the elderly, the poor, and those already suffering from chronic illnesses. One example, the “Be-a-Buddy Program” shares life-saving information with vulnerable residents. This and other similar programs constitute resiliency actions as they reduce vulnerability under current conditions, and can be scaled accordingly, but do not reduce the level of increased future climate risk.

• The Center for Disease Control's Assessing Health Vulnerability to Climate Change guides health departments on conducting climate and health vulnerability assessments.

Implemented adaptation actions that provide co-benefits to air quality, water management and emergency preparedness

• NYC implemented several adaptation actions to address the increasing risk of heat events including promoting ‘cool roofs,’ urban forestry initiatives, and other strategies to prepare for the projected increase in future heat waves, including reducing urban heat island effect.
• NYC Cool Roofs Program trains local individuals to work with a team to coat city rooftops with a white reflective coating. In its recent 2013 Annual Report, the NYC Cool Roofs Program had “cooled and coated” 2,077,537 square feet of rooftop by utilizing over 1,000 local volunteers and funding from corporate and individual donations, sponsorships, and local government.
• NYC adopted the Million Trees initiative to plant 1 million trees in the city by 2017. This action anticipates the future climate change risks and provides adaptation benefits for reducing the urban heat island, as well as resulting in greenhouse gas mitigation benefits.

• EPA's Excessive Heat Events Guidebook provides information on how to reduce the heat island effect.

Evaluating performance and risk under the best-available science

• The city partnered with the Princeton Plasma Physics laboratory to help analyze, evaluate and quantify its climate resiliency, adaptation and mitigation actions.
• The city updated its vulnerability assessment in 2015 (“Building the Knowledge Base for Climate Resiliency”), including projecting climate risk out to 2100 for the first time.

• EPA's Green Infrastructure to Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect provides resources to reduce the urban heat island effect.