Climate change: How New York is already arming itself against rising sea levels

New York is one of the most populous cities in the United States. The metropolis is already trying to prepare for what seems inevitable: floods as a consequence of climate change.

The city of New York has started an extensive project to be better equipped against the extreme weather conditions of climate change and to avoid the mistakes of the past.

The economic center of the USA is at great risk from climate change. With a coastline of 837 kilometers, experts fear that the sea level will rise by 20-75 centimeters by 2050. This surge could partially flood New York, particularly Manhattan Island.

Hurricane “Sandy”, which swept over New York in 2012, and storms “Ida” and “Henri” last summer claimed over 50 lives in the largest city in the United States and caused billions in damage.

Because of its unique geographic location, the “Big Apple” is extremely vulnerable to storms and recently passed a $ 20 billion plan to “improve climate stability”.

One of the projects aims to protect the many residents of Manhattan. The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project wants to protect the 110,000 or so New Yorkers on the East Side of Manhattan, from Montgomery Street to East 25th Street.

As part of the $ 1.45 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) project, the construction of a 4-kilometer-long integrated system of elevated parks, flood walls, levees and movable flood gates began in southeast Manhattan to create a continuous protective wall against the rise in the Sea levels and the growing threat of stronger and heavier coastal storms.

“This project will protect New Yorkers from coastal storms and rising sea levels for decades to come, while investing in amenities and improving access to public spaces on Manhattan’s East Side,” said Mayor’s Office for Climate Stability Director Jainey Bavishi.

Manhattan will also plant thousands of trees around the construction site and improve the underground sewer systems.

You can learn more about the project in the video above.

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