Politics & Government

Bloomberg: $20 Billion to Protect City from Climate Change

Bloomberg reveals massive plan to protect city from waves of the future.

This article was written by Matthew Hampton. 

It's going to cost $20 billion to protect New York City from the effects of climate change, Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed Tuesday afternoon.

Referencing his oft-forgotten "PlaNYC" initiative, Bloomberg announced a host of protections he hopes to set in motion for the future, largely focused on beating back the rising tides that threaten to swallow much of the city over the next century.
"Six years ago, PlaNYC sounded the alarm about the dangers our city faces due to the effects of climate change and we’ve done a lot to attack the causes of climate change and make our city less vulnerable to its possible effects," said Bloomberg. "But Hurricane Sandy made it all too clear that, no matter how far we’ve come, we still face real, immediate threats."

Included in the plan, which is detailed at nyc.gov, are numerous surge barriers in vulnerable parts of the city, built in oceanfront neighborhoods of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The walls would work in combination with a series of breakwaters and floodgates built in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers south of the five boroughs along the shoreline. 

The mayor wasn't just about building walls during his speech—  he also mentioned changes to the city's building codes, and launching a tax abatement program for homeowners who retrofitted their residences with flood-proofing measures. 

So where is the money for all this going to come from? Good question. Bloomberg said that as much as three quarters of the expense could come from a combination of federal relief programs — some associated with Sandy relief — and city funding already earmarked for infrastructure improvement. The remaining $4.5 billion, is another question.

However it gets funded, Bloomberg was adamant the work had to begin immediately. 

"This is urgent work," he added, "and it must begin now."


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