2007 Report to NYS Conservation Council from Office of Climate Change
A newly established office in DEC will play a key role in carrying out the state's program to reduce climate-changing emissions, and to adapt where warming is unavoidable.
Goal: Develop and implement initiatives to accelerate the protection of air, land and water quality.
Objective: Minimize creation of waste and pollutants.
Most scientists today agree that the earth's temperature is growing warmer, that this warming is most likely caused by burning fossil fuels, and that the climate changes from the increased temperatures threaten our resources and our way of life.
In the Northeastern United States, scientists have documented a rise in the average annual temperature of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, with average winter temperatures up as much as 4.4 degrees in the past 30 years.
Much of the Northeast has already seen a change in the winter season, with Adirondack snowfall down by 40 to 60 inches per year and an average of 20 fewer days with snow on the ground in some parts of the state. Lake Champlain now freezes over, on average, 11 days later than in the early 1800s, and also thaws earlier in the spring. Later ice-in dates appear to be feeding more intense "lake effect" winter storms in the Great Lakes region.
Growing seasons are lengthening, as shown by the earlier bloom dates of many common plants. More of the summer is expected to be hot and dry, with periodic heavy rainfalls. An increase in hurricanes and other strong storms fed by rising ocean temperatures also is expected.
These changes are likely to affect the types of species that survive in New York. In particular, New York's fisheries may undergo significant change. Our traditional mix of cold and warm/temperate marine species, as well as populations of coldwater species like trout and salmon in our fresh waters, could be at risk as waters grow warmer.
Significant change in our climate also threatens New Yorkers' economy and lifestyle. For this reason, Governor Eliot Spitzer has assigned urgent priority to understanding and mitigating global climate change, as well as to taking actions needed to accommodate warming that cannot be avoided. He has set an ambitious 2015 goal of reducing electricity use by 15 percent through improved efficiency, along with greater use of clean and renewable energy sources.
Other elements of the Governor's program include:
- Promoting the development of renewable energy sources through the Lieutenant Governor's State Task Force on Renewable Energy and the state Renewable Portfolio Standard.
- Using the market to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants through the cap-and-trade program developed by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI aims to cap emissions at 2009 levels, then reduce them by 10 percent in the next decade. Currently, the ten northeastern states participating in RGGI states expected to have regulations in place by the startup date of January 1, 2009. RGGI, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, will provide technical support and guidance as states make rules and implement a cohesive regional program.
- Adopting California's strict vehicle emission standards to reduce passenger vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases by 30 percent.
- Establishing in DEC the New York State Climate Change Office to help governments and institutions respond effectively to climate change, through reduced emissions and adaptations to unavoidable warming.
