Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies Center for Climate Systems Research March 15, 2011

1. Adaptation Activities for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure U.S. General Services Administration Interagency Resources Management Conference 2011: Celebrating 50 Years of Performance Leadership Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies Center for Climate Systems Research March 15, 2011

2. Climate Change Responses • Mitigation involves actions that decrease the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This can be done by reducing GHG emissions and by enhancing the storage of carbon on the earth. • Adaptation involves actions that reduce the effects of climate change or enhance the benefits. • Mitigation & adaptation can be interactive. • Both mitigating and adapting to changing climate conditions are part of sustainability.

3. Establish Guiding PrinciplesFlexible Adaptation Pathways Source: NPCC, 2010

4. New York City Climate Change Adaptation Process High-Level Buy-In Mayor or City Official Critical Infrastructure Coordinating Role City-wide Sustainability Office • Stakeholders • City Agencies • Regional Authorities • Private Corporations • Expert Knowledge Providers • University scholars and private sector experts • Social, biological, and physical scientists • Legal and insurance experts • Risk management professionals E T Stakeholder Task Force Expert Panel P W W C Climate Risk Information Adaptation Assessment Guidelines Climate Protection Levels • Integration across Sector-specific Working Groups • Energy (E) - Transportation (T) • Policy (P) - Water & Waste (WW) • - Communications (C) Source: NPCC, 2010

5. Adaptation Assessment • Climate scenarios developed for New York City were used to identify impacts on infrastructure and start the adaptation assessment process • Climate information helped guide stakeholders • Inventory of At-risk Infrastructure • Risk Assessment Matrix • Strategy Prioritization Framework Source: NPCC, 2010 Source: NPCC, 2010

6. Framing Adaptation • Reduce the level of physical, social, or economic impact of climate change and variability • Take advantage of new opportunities emerging from climate change Type • Management/operations • Infrastructure – physical components of each sector • Policy Administrative Group • Private vs. public organizations • Local/municipal, county, state, national • Level of Effort • Incremental action • Large-scale shifts Timing • Short term <5 yrs; medium term 5-15 yrs; long term >15 years • Abrupt Changes - tipping points/policy triggers Scale • Wide-spread, clustered, isolated/unique

7. Adaptation Decisions • Actions • Enhance existing programs • Moving pumps at the Rockaway Wastewater Treatment Plant to 14 feet above sea level from 25 feet below • Planning • NYC DEP Climate Change Integrated Modeling Project (CCIMP) analyzing climate impacts on NYC water supply • NYC DEP RFP to study impacts of rising sea level on Wastewater Pollution Control Plants (WPCP), tide gates and other structures • Standards and Regulations • NPCC Recommendation to change 1/100 year floodplain standards • Urban Design – MOMA • New York State Climate Action Plan • Effective mitigation strategies will depend on taking climate change into account • Mitigation strategies will affect adaptation strategies, and vice versa with respect to effectiveness, economic efficiency, and equity • Potential adaptation strategies provide entry points for institutional and public response to climate change and climate change mitigation Ashokan Reservoir, a component of the New York City Water Supply System WPCP in Bronx, New York

8. Mitigation and Adaptation • >75% NYC’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate from buildings (PlaNYC 2010 report) • By 2030, 85% of GHG emissions will come from existing buildings • Focus on retrofitting existing buildings to reduce GHG emissions • Approach must be multi-dimensional (e.g., reduce energy and water usage, install solar and green roofs, etc.) • City Council Regulation In Cities Retrofit of Existing Buildings is Key to Sustainability

9. Greening GISS • Near-term Sustainability Goals • Conduct energy audit • Establish metering and monitoring system to assess load shifting • Install green roof NASA-GISS building GSA leases from Columbia University • Long-term Sustainability Goals • Achieve near net-zero energy use • Obtain LEED Existing Building certification

10. GSAGreen Roof Report • Evaluate measurable benefits and challenges associated with the use of green roofs in GSA's owned and leased inventory • Practical, environmental, and aesthetic benefits of green roofs, including the reduction of storm water runoff • Analysis of building life-cycle cost, return on investment, and energy savings • Sustainable design features might be important to justify the costs associated with green roofs • Currently, there are 36 green roofs on GSA buildings in eastern USA (GSA Green Roof Tracker) • Washington D.C. 22 green roofs • New York City 1 green roof • Stuart Gaffin, GISS – Report coauthor • Report expected in 2011

11. Conclusions • Adaptation to changing climate conditions is part of sustainability. • Adaptation is a risk management process. • Leadership from the top is essential! • There are many types of adaptation: operations, management, infrastructure, and policy. • There are synergies between energy efficiency and adaptation.