WASHINGTON — Deadly heat waves. Coastal flooding. Rising rivers. Flooded rail lines.  Those are the biggest dangers to New York City and the rest of the Northeast due to climate change, according to warnings in a massive federal report released Tuesday.  Predictions for the entire nation include more droughts, wildfires and dying forests. They come as President Obama seeks support for new curbs on greenhouse gases and nears a decision on a proposed pipeline to transport oil to the Gulf of Mexico from Canada.  "Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present," declares the National Climate Assessment.  The report by a large scientific panel was released with a media offensive that included national and local TV weather forecasters, such as NBC's Al Roker. They got interviews in the Rose Garden with President Obama on what was billed, "Weather from the White House."  The report notes that 64 million people are concentrated in the Northeast, with a "massive, complex and long-standing network of supporting infrastructure," as well as the leading financial center of New York and many cultural and historic landmarks.  In addition, the region has 180,000 farms and cities with large concentrations of concrete and asphalt that tend to have higher temperatures than nearby areas.  The region has seen temperatures increase by about 2 degrees and precipitation increase by 10% since 1895, the report said. It's experienced more rain than any other U.S. region in recent decades and it is experiencing a rise in sea levels that surpasses the average worldwide.  Even if global emissions of heat-trapping gases were to fall in coming decades, heat waves still will increase, the report said. For example, southern New Jersey is projected by mid-century to experience more than 60 additional days per year above 90 degrees.  The New York area's low-income populations are most endangered, with pollutants and poor air quality posing greater health risk to them. The likelihood of aging electrical grids and air conditioning failing when demand is hiked only increases their vulnerability, the report states.  Beach and dune erosion due to coastal flooding is a challenge. And many species of fish are endangered by rising ocean temperatures up and down the coast.  The reportt cites another previous study which projects that temperature changes alone "would lead to a 50% to 91% increase in heat-related deaths in Manhattan by the 2080s."  Though individual hurricanes cannot be directly attributed to climate change, Irene and Sandy provided 'teachable moments' by demonstrating the region's vulnerability to extreme weather events," it states.  Sandy was responsible for about 150 deaths and was the second most costly Atlantic hurricane, after Katrina, with damages in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut estimated as high as high as $80 billion.  Horton of Columbia University and Gary Yohe of Wesleyan University. It praised New York City for forming a Climate Adaptation Task Force and passing laws that make climate science and adaptation assessment part of long-term planning.
Man-made climate change is real and its effects already are being felt, according to a report released by the Obama administration Tuesday. Unless steps are taken to limit man-made emissions, New York City and the Northeast can expect more deadly heat waves, coastal flooding and other extreme weather, the National Climate Assessment warns.