A new report warns that over 80,000 homes on Staten Island, Southeast Queens, and the suburbs east of New York City could be lost to floods over the next 15 years. The report warns that climate change could make the housing crisis even worse.
The Regional Plan Association report revealed that swaths of land in every borough were likely to become impossible to develop, helping to increase the area’s housing shortage to 1.2 million homes. The latest report underscores how the dual threats of climate change and a lack of housing are looming over coastal cities worldwide.
Researchers expect flooding and other extreme weather events to push thousands of people from their homes in the New York region over the next 15 years. New York City and its suburbs have not built enough homes to meet demand over the past few decades, driving up rents and home prices. Additionally, the metropolitan area struggles to adapt to increased flooding and other extreme weather caused by global warming.
