Across the state, extreme weather \u2014 including hurricanes, rising sea levels and the heat island effect \u2014 are changing the way people live. But the impacts of climate change will also affect economies and culture, prompting the state Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to launch a two-year assessment of the state\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Around 80 people in different parts of the state are working on sections of the study examining climate impacts on transportation, agriculture, energy and more. Last summer, Long Lake Town Historian Hallie Bond joined the team to research how climate change will alter community culture \u2014 including historical societies and museums.<\/p>\n
The New York State Climate Impacts Assessment is aimed at policymakers, Bond said, and will be accessible enough for people outside of scientific fields to understand. The report was initially set to finish early this year but is now expected this summer, according to NYSERDA spokesperson Alice Oldfather.<\/p>\n
Bond said she welcomed the opportunity to take part in the assessment because it contributed to the broader fight against climate change. \u201cThe only way we\u2019re going to deal with it is (to) tackle it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t just sit back and throw up our hands and say, \u2018It\u2019s too big.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Bond, who was curator for the Adirondack Museum (now known as the Adirondack Experience) for 30 years, is part of a team identifying societal and economic issues that will worsen with climate change. One immediate problem is the location of some historic sites and buildings. On top of being poorly funded, Bond said, many historical societies are built near water which can leave them vulnerable to flooding.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo all of this combines to put them at great risk because they usually aren\u2019t prepared for issues of climate change like flooding and a lot of rain in particular, and they don\u2019t have the money to do anything about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n