As Effects Of Climate Change Begin To Show, Ithaca Starts Preparing
As the effects of climate change begin to roll in, locals in Ithaca can expect increased flooding and severe weather. Many of the city's buildings are at high risk of flooding.
The Ithacan
As the global threat of climate change-related weather events intensifies, infrastructure, farming and human life and property in the state of New York and the City of Ithaca are being impacted. Meanwhile, local preparation for these changes are limited or just beginning.
On Feb. 27, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its annual climate report. The report states that in North America, climate change will affect crop production, infectious diseases, heat and malnutrition, displacement and flood and storm-induced damages. According to the Deloitte Economic Institute, inaction on climate change could cost the U.S. economy $14.5 trillion by 2072.
Mark Wysocki, New York state climatologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the impacts of climate change are already visible across the state and Northeast U.S.
