New York City’s Climate Resilience Project: Preparing for Rising Waters and Worsening Storms

In the United States, global warming is already causing significant damage. Faced with this sword of Damocles that threatens all of humanity, New York City is already preparing for the worst.

The North American continent is suffering from global warming, as evidenced in particular by the devastating fires that break out every summer in the southern half of the United States. The country, which rejoined the Paris Accords in 2021 after leaving them under the presidency of Donald Trump, now seems to want to face this existential threat. According to a report by the NGO First Street Foundation published in 2022, “a belt of extreme heat” is expected to cover an area stretching from Louisiana to Lake Michigan via the American Midwest within 30 years. If heat is the meteorological phenomenon that causes the most victims in the country, rising water levels are also taken seriously by the authorities. New York City, for example, is undertaking gigantic work worth several billion dollars to raise its coastline, and thus prepare for the inevitable.

A higher coast to block rising waters

It’s not just the southern half of the United States that finds itself threatened by global warming. New York City and its more than 8 million residents also find themselves trapped by intensifying storms, hurricanes and floods. Along its coasts, i.e. 836 km of coastline, the water has already gained 20 centimeters since 1950, notes Futura Sciences. To counter this threat, the American economic capital has therefore undertaken in 2021 the construction of a gigantic anti-flood wall 4 km long and 4.8 km high to protect itself. Built as part of a $20 billion climate resilience project, this project, which will be completed in 2026, plans to destroy and raise several parks in southeast Manhattan, a neighborhood surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the East River and the Hudson River.

The East Side Coastal Resiliency project has received the Envision Gold Award @ISIenvision for its “cohesive & comprehensive response to climate resiliency goals, protecting the community while strengthening public space, and developing a vigorous community engagement program.” pic.twitter.com/0qr7TGPLDL

— One Architecture & Urbanism (@one_arch_urb) August 24, 2022

Awareness after Hurricane Sandy

The awareness of the New York authorities dates back to October 2012 after the passage of Hurricane Sandy, which caused at least 44 victims, damage estimated at $19 billion and power outages for several weeks. , recalled Sara Nielsen, director of planning for New York parks, in 2021 at the start of the construction site. In the densely populated southeastern Manhattan neighborhood, water levels rose to a record 2.7 meters above sea level. Experts say the waters could take 20 to 75 years to rise. additional cm by 2050, which would threaten New York City with submergence. This titanic project also plans significant efforts in terms of urban redevelopment for the most vulnerable homes, and improvement of underground sewer and wastewater evacuation networks. Thousands of trees will also be planted around the site to reduce the risk of flooding. This is the largest climate resilience project in the country to date.

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2024-01-02 06:00:00
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