Few environmental issues are as divisive or ubiquitous as the topic of climate change is today. As a result of an accumulation of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, temperatures are rising and climatic patterns are changing. Climate change, also referred to as global warming, poses perhaps the most serious environmental threat to people and ecosystems around the world.
As scientific evidence supporting climate change accumulates, the international debate surrounding this issue has progressed from arguments over whether climate change exists, to urgent discussions to decide what should be done about it. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to the global warming problem. It will take a combination of local, national, and international policies and laws, along with real change by individuals.
New York is not immune to the effects of climate change. The state's forests, beaches, cities, and farmlands will all feel the impacts of this phenomenon. NYSERDA and EMEP are tackling the challenges of climate change through smart research, technology, and environmental monitoring.
In 2006, NYSERDA initiated its climate change research program under EMEP. Joint research planning with the New York Academy of Sciences and numerous stakeholders identified near-term and long-term research goals for New York in the area of climate change. These include:
- Evaluating the potential of energy efficiency and renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York State;
- Conducting climate change policy research and analysis;
- Assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in New York State; and
- Determining the feasibility of geological carbon storage— or "sequestration"— within the state.
NYSERDA's EMEP program has funded the following projects under the climate change program:
