• Program 2011-12

Adapting to Climate Change

Date: 

September 20, 2011

Time: 

6-8 pm

Host: 

The Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity Baruch College CUNY

Venue: 

Steven Newman Real Estate Institute 151 E. 25th St. Room 750 (between Lex. and 3rd Aves.)

Challenged by increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, sea level rise, as well as intense and frequent weather events, how will large urban centers like New York City, as well as smaller communities, adapt to climate change vulnerabilities? Efforts to limit climate change are no longer enough - we need to develop a response that pairs climate mitigation with adaptation strategies.

Climate effects may result in coastal erosion and associated damage to ports, roads, and other coastal infrastructure, flooding, salinity intrusion into water supplies, and inadequacy of existing infrastructure to handle these changes. Cities around the world will have to invest in costly infrastructure as well as develop public health and natural disaster response strategies. How do we predict the effects of climate change on a local level? How do we identify vulnerabilities and ways to adapt?

Join the SPN panel of experts to review the current state of climate change research and preparation in NYC and other urban centers. We will explore the issues of infrastructure, environmental and economic changes, and discuss tools to develop adaptation strategies and recommendations on how to achieve an effective climate resilience program.

Moderator: 

David Kooris, Vice President and Director, CT. and Hudson Valley, Regional Plan Association;

Panelists: 

Jon Dickinson, Senior Policy Advisor on Climate Change, Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability; Chris Zeppie, Director of Environmental Policy, Programs and Compliance, Port Authority of New York, New Jersey; Invited: Cynthia Rosensweig, GISS, William Solecki, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities, Jake Baker, Deutsch Bank