Third Source Entry
Andrew Falzone. “The Effects of Climate Change in New York City”. CUNY TV Special. Accessed 10/19/2023.
Summary and Representative Quotes

The genre of my third source entry is a documentary produced by CUNY TV Special which I found on YouTube. The presenter Andrew Falzone started the documentary by stating that research shows ocean currents are shifting, global sea levels are rising which means more coastal flooding storm surges, erosion and property damage. As the temperature in the atmosphere and the oceans increase the rainfall increases resulting in more floods and droughts. In this documentary, scientists say that for each degree Celsius the air heats up it holds 7% more moisture which leads to exponentially heavier rains during storms and made worse by human caused warming (the burning of fossil fuels). The average temperature has increased in NYC since 1970 and continues to increase. Thereby forcing organizations like the MTA to come up with initiatives to try to prevent the flooding of the underground subway system while dealing with the old infrastructure. The reasons why to feel a little bit safer as a resident in NYC were explored and the organizations that are working avidly to make an impact were listed. More examples of how residents’ lives were dismantled as a result of the flooding from hurricane Ida and their challenge to return to a normal life were highlighted. Mitigating factors like the implementations of bioswales and blue belts were also explained in depth. For example, on Staten Island, there is over 90 new manmade wetlands called blue belts that have been constructed with the hopes of 20 more soon. There is astounding evidence to prove theses manmade wetland have saved many communities from flooding after heavy rainfall.

Reflection and Rhetoric Analysis

A survey was conducted during this documentary to get a sense of what New Yorkers worry about concerning the increased flooding. Someone said they worry about the subway system, another stated that climate change is upon us and some else wondered if New York is still safe to live for them, their children, and grandchildren. It is a fact that climate change is upon us but my question to these people would be what changes you have made in your life to help reduce your carbon emissions because this is a joint effort, everyone is responsible for creating a better world for future our generations. As it pertains to public transport, the MTA invented a fabric based waterproof gate that can be placed at the top of the subway entrances to prevent the flood water from going down into the subways however this was a failure because they lacked data of future storms, exactly when the subways will flood, and which ones will flood. I thought of this as a plaster on a wound, a temporary fix because even if they invented a way to keep the water out of the subways the flood water will remain on the surface and more buildings will flood which is what we are trying to prevent. Therefore, there must be a more holistic look at how to protect all these important infrastructures and the lives of all New Yorkers, things can’t be looked at in isolation. Professor Deborah Balk, Co-Chair New York City panel on Climate Change, responded to the question, if it is safe to live in New York now and her response was “there is nowhere safer, climate change is happening but, on the upside, NYC has been paying attention to climate change for more than a decade.” She listed agencies and government institutions like the New York Panel on Climate change, Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency, assessments by the State and the alignment of NYC with the Paris Climate Agreement in collaboration with NYC businesses who are established and active institutions fighting climate change in NYC. Scientists say by 2100 there will be an additional six feet of sea level rise on the coastal areas of NYC. What are we doing right now, is it enough to prevent this prediction from happening or to even slow it down?
Mr. Dadaq is an arranger of a children’s orchestra in Queens. His basement studio was flooded when the storm surges of hurricane Ida hit. He lost loss numerous irreplaceable instruments, musical compositions and electronic equipment and it took months to clean. Eventually, Mr. Dadaq reopened the children orchestra and expressed his trauma he experiences even now when he hears of impending rainy weather, and this also mirrors the feeling of many New Yorkers that is scared of the thought of rain but willing to push true whatever disaster to return to our precious way of life. Finally, in a report from Craig Thompson he mentioned, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, that there are a few tree pits (this is similar to bioswales) in Queens and throughout the city but it is not near enough to deal with a similar amount of water again. I wonder just how much tree pits is needed to trap the excess storm flood waters in NYC? There must be a commitment to more green and grey infrastructure, Thompson stated. The wetland plants in these bioswales create a system to store the flood water during a storm which comes from the storm sewers. This flood water is also treated as well. This has become a permanent form of drainage for the communities in Staten Island and has proven success for more than twenty years. The grey infrastructure includes sewers, pipes, tanks and dams. The NYC sewer system is over 100 years old and to fit the needs of the city it must be revamped or recreated for the demands today.