Building on the shore: not the wisest move

NEW YORK (AP) -- Water levels around New York City could rise by 2 feet or more in the coming decades and average temperatures will likely go up at least 4 degrees.

That's according to a report released Tuesday by a panel of scientists convened by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change says the city must adapt to global warming or risk having to rebuild facilities after flooding.

Bloomberg and panel members released the report at a wastewater treatment plant on the Rockaway peninsula. The facility is preparing for climate change by raising equipment higher off the ground.

According to the report, New York City can expect more storms, more days with the temperature over 90 degrees and fewer sub-freezing days over the next century.

And from Newsday:

...a New York State task force that is readying recommendations on the best way to adapt to sea level rise soldiers on. That work comes as a federal report released last month by the Environmental Protection Agency said coastal regions "need to rigorously assess vulnerability" to sea level rise and plan strategies to protect property, wetlands and barrier islands.

Among the advice the task force could deliver: direct development away from coastal areas; elevate roads and other infrastructure; or change wetlands regulations to increase no-development zones so marshes threatened by sea level rise have room to migrate upland.

You mean building along the waterfront might not be the best idea? So all the building at Willets Point, in LIC and Rockaway may actually do more harm than good? Wow.