In the crosshairs of a heating planet
Governments and the public should be more cognizant of how climate change might affect the region and state”™s infrastructure.
This was among the sentiments expressed during a panel discussion on climate change and alternative energy sources called “The Greening of Rockland:Creating an environmentally conscious community” sponsored by Leadership Rockland. The event took place May 1 at Dominican College in Orangeburg.
Featured speaker David VanLuven, Hudson River estuary director for the Nature Conservancy, said climate change could eventually have a great impact on infrastructure and transportation.
In the Hudson Valley, he said, consideration must be given to how low-lying municipalities would be affected by rising water levels, one consequence that some scientists predict could occur due to climate change.
Increased flooding would affect countless homes and businesses in river and creek towns.
That in turn would have a negative economic effect due to the financial impact of flood damages and recovery, especially in a declining economy, said VanLuven.
“This is why we have to talk about climate change as a social, not just an environmental, problem,” he said.
Along the same lines, he said, transportation infrastructure such as rail lines in the Hudson Valley are at risk because of potential increased flooding.
“We must take into account the effect of climate change on infrastructure,” he said.
In an effort to curb climate change, New York state has embarked on several alternative-energy benchmarks.
Thomas Englert, an engineer based in Rockland County, said about 8 percent of energy used in the state is derived form renewable energy sources.
However, the state has a target to increase that number to 25 percent by 2013, with a focus on hydro, wind, and solar power, he said.
Englert said the state should really focus on solar power and consider offering tax incentives to develop it.
He said solar power accounts for 1 percent of all U.S. renewable energy use, but it”™s the fastest growing sector.
“The global potential for solar power is virtually unlimited,” he said.
Patrice Courtney, a representative from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said there are a number of state programs available for residents and businesses as an incentive to pursue “green” construction.
She said programs that offer tax credits and even cash for homeowners to renovate their houses exist that people may not know about.
These include participating in an “energy audit,” which can assess how much energy a home uses and evaluate what measures a homeowner can take to improve efficiency.
“The state has a very robust program to provide New Yorker”™s with a cash incentive to enact these changes,” Courtney said.
Michael Shilale, a Nyack-based architect, said about 50 percent of carbon emissions in the air come from buildings.
He said the American Institute of Architects has set a goal to have all buildings in the U.S. be carbon-neutral by 2030.
“We have an opportunity to re-think the way we design, use and construct our buildings,” he said. “It”™s not undoable.”