New York State Sea Level Rise Task Force, Report to the Legislature, December 2010.
“New York State’s extensive ocean coastline has places that we know, that we remember and that have shaped us in some way. The state’s coastline includes many notable locations—Montauk Point, Coney Island, Robert Moses State Park, Battery Park and the Hudson River’s shores from New York City to the federal dam at Troy. More than 60 percent of New Yorkers live in homes on or near these waterfront areas. Each shoreline area is unique and part of the essence of New York. But these places will change as sea level rises, and the differences will become more obvious as the sea continues to rise to levels never experienced by humans. A result of the world’s changing climate, a rising sea will alter more than just the coastline. The entire state will feel the effects as residents and a significant amount of the landscape are affected. These areas are diverse and interconnected and share New York’s rich agriculture, commercial, economic and environmental history and resources.
“The communities along New York State’s coastline, including their structures, their residents, their environment and the surrounding natural resources, are products of decisions made over the course of many years. These decisions shaped decades of investment, development and conservation. While the extent of the impacts to coastal communities from a rising sea are not fully known, even the most conservative projections make clear that there will be dramatic changes in this century. Thus, how coastal communities and our state address this collective challenge is important to today’s decision makers. The responses needed to protect communities from the threat posed by sea level rise will take time, and now that the challenges are better understood, government is obligated to protect its citizens while there is time to do so effectively. New York must focus on the smart use of limited resources to address the impacts associated with sea level rise.