Interdisciplinary Panel will Support and Inform Climate Adaptation Efforts with the Latest and Best Scientific Data
November 1, 2024
NEW YORK – New York City Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala today announced the appointment of the fifth New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), an independent advisory body that synthesizes scientific information on climate change and advises city policymakers on local resiliency and adaptation strategies that protect against extreme heat, heavy rain, coastal storm surge, and other climate hazards. Their research and findings will continue to inform the Adams administration’s ongoing efforts to ensure that New York City is prepared for the impacts of climate change.
“With New York City feeling the effects of a changing climate, we need the latest and best climate data to guide critical infrastructure and keep New Yorkers safer,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “The members of NPCC5 bring diverse research backgrounds and expertise, and city agencies at the forefront of climate work have much to gain from their collaboration and knowledge.”
“For a decade and a half and three mayoral administrations, the New York City Panel on Climate Change has helped the city be an international leader on climate change by grounding our ambitious work in the latest scientific data,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “The expertise of the panelists and their co-chairs will prove invaluable as we continue to advance infrastructure programs that will build the future of New York.”
The NPCC, including its three co-chairs, was selected to ensure a diversity of backgrounds and fields of technical practice. Its members bring a broad spectrum of disciplinary expertise including climate science, public health, engineering, architecture, and urban planning.
The NPCC’s work will continue to be the scientific basis for climate policy and planning, including complex coastal resilience projects in all five boroughs. The fifth panel will look to advance our understanding of under-explored climate hazards in New York City, including the impacts of drought and groundwater flooding, and will also evaluate regional climate events’ impacts on New York City and the watershed.
The first NPCC convened in 2009, and the panel was codified in Local Law 42 of 2012 with a mandate to provide an authoritative and actionable source of scientific information on future climate change and its potential impacts. Past iterations of the NPCC have published assessment reports that synthesize several years of research and analysis. NPCC4, the most recent report, was released last April through the New York Academy of Sciences. It confirmed that New York City will be warmer, with more extreme heat events, and wetter, with growing risks from intense rainfall and inland flooding.
“As we continue to witness growing challenges from climate change, including disproportionate impacts on many vulnerable groups and critical infrastructure systems, it’s essential that the best available science regarding climate risks and adaptation pathways be made readily available to decision-makers,” said the NPCC5 co-chairs. “As chairs and members of NPCC5, we look forward to working with the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, the NYC Environmental Justice Advisory Board, and many others to assess potential strategies for making the city more sustainable, resilient, and equitable for all New Yorkers.”
“I am very excited to join NPCC5,” said Dr. Micaela Martinez of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “As a scientist and justice advocate, I am delighted to see that New York City is helping pave the way for climate resilience. It is incredibly important that we make a just transition, and I look forward to helping NYC tackle the climate crises and leverage climate resilience efforts to help create a more Just City for all New Yorkers.”
“As climate change accelerates and hurricanes intensify, it becomes increasingly vital to identify, measure, and manage flood risks and other climate-related challenges,” said Dr. Yuki Miura of New York University. “I look forward to working with the NPCC team to address these complex, interdisciplinary challenges, while bridging the public and private sectors, academia, and the community to foster effective, sustainable solutions.”
“I look forward to working with the NPCC to provide updates on how climate change could worsen flooding in New York City, and to help develop the scientific knowledge base needed to advance resilience,” said Dr. Bernice Rosenzweig of Sarah Lawrence College.
“As our city faces the increasing impacts of climate change, from record-breaking heat to destructive flooding, it is more critical than ever to build on over a decade of NPCC’s assessment of the city’s climate risks,” said Dr. Luis Ortiz of George Mason University. “I am honored to help the next iteration of NPCC build the knowledge base needed to plan for a climate-ready, more resilient, and more equitable New York City.”
Below is the full list of appointees:
Professor Sheila Foster (Columbia University) – Co-Chair
Dr. Timon McPhearson (The New School) – Co-Chair
Dr. Franco Montalto, P.E. (Drexel University) – Co-Chair
Mr. Daniel Bader (Columbia University)
Dr. Christian Braneon (NASA GISS)
Dr. Marc Conte (Fordham University)
Dr. Elizabeth Cook (Barnard College)
Dr. Naresh Devineni (City University of New York)
Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban (Pratt Institute)
Dr. Patrick Gurian (Drexel University)
Dr. Jaime Madrigano (Johns Hopkins University)
Dr. Peter Marcotullio (City University of New York)
Dr. Micaela Martinez (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)
Dr. Yuki Miura (New York University)
Dr. Luis Ortiz (George Mason University)
Dr. Lin Peng (City University of New York)
Dr. Prathap Ramamurthy (City University of New York)
Dr. Jeffrey Raven (New York Institute of Technology)
Dr. Bernice Rosenzweig (Sarah Lawrence College)
CONTACT: Kimberly Winston, [email protected], 917-853-6832