How will global warming affect New England in the 21st century and how is the region preparing for the coming changes?
Global climate models all predict that the Northeastern United States may be particularly vulnerable to both short- and long-term effects of global warming. Some of these effects such as higher average temperature and sea level, along with more intense and more frequent storms and droughts are already being felt in the New England area. As we learned from Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy and winter storm Nemo, isolated weather extremes riding on gradual trends can be extraordinarily damaging. A 2011 report by the American Security Project estimated that failure to mitigate or plan for what is likely to become the new normal could result in the loss of 100,000 jobs and $22 billion from the regional economy between 2010 and 2050.
While coarse global models can indicate the overall direction of change, much more detailed regional climate, economic and land-use models are needed to assess how global warming will affect New England, county by county, in the 21st century and to create prudent and effective policies and plans for dealing with the coming changes.
Event participants include:
- Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Project on Climate Change
- Alexander Felson, an urban ecologist, a registered landscape architect and an assistant professor at Yale University
- Kerry Emanuel, professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Christ Murphy, the junior United States Senator from Connecticut
- Marion McFadden, HUD’s Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Community
- Katie Scharf Dykes, Deputy Commissioner for Energy at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Ronald B. Smith, professor of geology and leader of Yale’s program in mesoscale meteorology and regional climate