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New York City Panel on Climate Change
New York City Panel on Climate Change
The New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) is a critical part of MOR initiatives. New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), a 20-member independent advisory body that synthesizes scientific information on climate change and advises City policymakers on local resiliency and adaptation strategies to protect against rising temperatures, increased flooding, and other hazards. NPCC started in 2009 and 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.
Meet the Members
The Panel will be led by a team of five co-chairs who possess a broad spectrum of disciplinary expertise including climate science, demography, engineering, geography, vulnerability analysis, global change, architecture, and urban planning. Both the full NPCC and its leadership team were selected to ensure a diversity of backgrounds, research disciplines, and fields of technical practice.
- Dr. Deborah Balk (Baruch College – CUNY) – Co-chair
- Dr. Christian Braneon (NASA GISS) – Co-chair
- Dr. Robin Leichenko (Rutgers University) – Co-chair
- Dr. Richard Moss (Princeton University) – Co-chair
- Mr. Joel Towers (The New School) – Co-chair
- Dr. Ana Baptista (The New School)
- Dr. Janice Barnes (Climate Adaptation Partners)
- Dr. Sheila Foster (Georgetown University)
- Dr. Radley Horton (Columbia University)
- Dr. Kim Knowlton (Columbia University – Mailman School for Public Health)
- Dr. Nicole Maher (The Nature Conservancy)
- Dr. Peter Marcotullio (Hunter College – CUNY)
- Dr. Thomas Matte (Columbia University; independent consultant)
- Dr. Timon McPhearson (The New School)
- Dr. Katherine McComas (Cornell University)
- Dr. Franco Montalto (Drexel University)
- Dr. Philip Orton (Stevens Institute of Technology)
- Dr. Bernice Rosenzweig (Sarah Lawrence College)
- Dr. Jack Tchen (Rutgers University)
- Dr. Gernot Wagner (New York University)
NPCC Assessment Reports
NPCC assessments have a longstanding track record of supporting the City's ongoing efforts to ensure that New York City is prepared to withstand and emerge stronger from the threat of climate change. NPCC assessments, and the underlying climate science, have helped the City, among other things:
- Helped improve building codes to address future storms and extreme weather as part of the Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines;
- Provided future flood conditions for comprehensive waterfront planning and capital waterfront projects like East Side Coastal Resiliency, Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency, and Red Hook Coastal Resiliency, among others;
- Produced an in-depth assessment of climate equity and community-based adaptation planning methods; and
- Justified upgrades and protections to critical infrastructure, like water and wastewater systems, to avoid $2 billion in estimated damages over 50 years.
MOR – NPCC Fellowships (rolling deadline; apply now)
The MOR/NPCC Fellows Program provides a unique opportunity for students and post-doctoral researchers to work with The City of New York and the NPCC to advance critical research that will help the City adapt to climate change, take actions to mitigate its future impact, and build a more equitable and resilient future.
Download the MOR NPCC Fellowship 2 pager
Flood Zones
This NPCC map predicts how each borough would be affected by sea level rise.
Rising Temperatures
In the coming years NYC will grow hotter.
Increasing Precipitation
Heavy rainfall has been increasing with more expected in the coming years.