>>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO

THIS "METROFOCUS" SPECIAL

REPORT.

I'M JENNA FLANAGAN.

THIS SUMMER IS EXPECTED TO BE

ESPECIALLY HOT, AND WHILE HEAT

WAVES POSE A THREAT TO EVERYONE,

SOME NEW YORKERS ARE MORE AT

RISK TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE

CHANGE THAN OTHERS.

HEAT KILLS ABOUT 350 CITY

RESIDENTS EACH YEAR WORK BLACK

NEW YORKERS MORE THAN TWICE AS

LIKELY TO DIE THAN WHITE

RESIDENTS.

NEW YORK IS ALSO ENTERING

HURRICANE SEASON, AND THOUGH

IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE

SUPERSTORM SANDY DEVASTATED THE

REGION, THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY

THAT STORM AND OTHERS SINCE IS

STILL WITH US.

SO FOR MUCH MORE, LET'S WELCOME

BACK OUR GO-TO EXPERT ON THE

PLANET, BILL OLFELDER.

HE JOINS US AS PART OF OUR

ONGOING INITIATIVE, REPORTING ON

THE HUMAN STORIES OF CLIMATE

CHANGE AND ITS SOLUTIONS.

BILL, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU

BACK ON THE SHOW.

>> THANKS, JENNA.

I ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE

OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE IN NEW YORK WITH

YOU, SO THANKS.

>> WELL, SO, FIRST, LET'S START

WITH THE ISSUE THAT I THINK MOST

PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO

START NOTICING, BECAUSE OF

COURSE FOR WHERE NEW YORK CITY

IS SITUATED.

IT'S THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY, AND

THOSE TWO THINGS ARE GOING TO

START RISING SIGNIFICANTLY.

>> THAT'S RIGHT, AND YOU

MENTIONED THE STATISTIC OF HOW

MANY HUNDRED OF NEW YORKERS DIE

EACH YEAR FROM HEATSTROKE AND

HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES, AND THIS

IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE.

AS I SAY, THE THING WE DON'T

LOVE ABOUT NEW YORK, HEAT AND

MOISTURE, THESE ARE EXACTLY THE

THINGS CLIMATE CHANGE IS

BRINGING SOME WE'RE EXPECTING TO

SEE -- THE SCIENCE TELLS US

WE'RE GOING TO GO FROM AN

AVERAGE OF ABOUT TWO HEAT WAVES

A YEAR PROBABLY TO SOMETHING

LIKE SEVEN BY 2050.

THAT'S OVER 60 DAYS OF 90 PLUS

DEGREES.

IMAGINE ALL OF JULY AND AUGUST

BEING 90 PLUS DEGREES.

IT'S KIND OF MISERABLE, AND NOT

JUST THAT, IT'S A KILLER.

A SILENT KILLER, NUMBER ONE

WEATHER RELATED KILLER IN THE

UNITED STATES.

>> YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING, AND

IT'S AN ISSUE I PERSONALLY

STRUGGLE WITH, BUT I THINK A LOT

OF PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH WITH THE

ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND

THAT IS THAT IT'S ALL GOING TO

GET WORSE.

WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH

THESE HEAT WAVES IN NEW YORK,

ARE THERE THINGS THAT ARE --

SOME SORT OF TACTICS OR

SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO

HELP EASE THE SUFFERING THAT WE

KNOW IS COMING?

>> RIGHT.

WELSH THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT

POINT, AND I THINK THERE'S TWO

THINGS.

I MEAN, ONE IS IT IS GOING TO

GET WORSE.

I MEAN, WE HAVE BEEN EMITTING

CARBON POLLUTION LONG ENOUGH

THAT THERE IS MORE WORSE STUFF

COMING THAT'S JUST BUILT INTO

THE SYSTEM.

I MEAN, EVEN IF WE STOPPED

EMITTING ALL CARBON POLLUTION

TODAY IT WOULD STILL GET WORSE

FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

THEN OF COURSE THE QUESTION IS,

ARE WE TAKING THE STEPS TO

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CARBON

POLLUTION GOING FORWARD?

THAT'S SOMETHING WE CONSTANTLY

HAVE TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO.

I MEAN, A PIECE OF, I GUESS

WE'LL CALL IT GOOD NEWS, IS

THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE, WE'LL

CALL THEM ROBUST AND ELEGANT

SOLUTIONS TO HEAT.

THE NUMBER ONE THING WE AT THE

NATURE CONSERVANCY TALK ABOUT,

WE'RE WORKING WITH A BIG

COALITION, IS THE TREES AND THE

POWER OF TREES IN THE CITY TO

SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AS MUCH AS 20

DEGREES.

PLUS, YOU KNOW, THEY GIVE US

OXYGEN, CLEAN AIR TO BREATHE,

THEY CAPTURE CARBON, CLEAN OUR

WATER, PROVIDE WILDLIFE HABITAT.

THEY IMPROVE PROPERTY VALUE.

SO JUST INCREASING THE NUMBER OF

TREES AND THE FOREST CANOPY

COVER IN THE CITY WILL HAVE A

DRAMATIC POSITIVE IMPACT ON

REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF HEAT ON

NEW YORKERS.

>> WHEN YOU SAY INCREASING THE

NUMBER OF CANOPY TREES --

BECAUSE PERHAPS A PERSON COULD

SAY, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

THIS CITY IS FULL OF PARKS.

CENTRAL PARK'S HUGE, AND

MANHATTAN ALONE.

WHY IS THAT NOT GOOD ENOUGH?

>> RIGHT, WELL, WE NEED MORE.

THAT'S THE FIRST THING.

AND THE TREES AND PARKS ARE VERY

INEQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS

THE CITY.

IF YOU LOOKED AT NEW YORK.

IF YOU WERE A BIRD OR SATELLITE

AND LOOKING DOWN AND YOU SEE THE

CITY, THERE'S ABOUT 22% OF THE

CITY WOULD BE COVERED IN TREES

DURING, WE'LL CALL IT, LIKE, THE

SUMMER TIME WHEN THEY'RE FULLY

LEAFED OUT.

WHAT THE ANALYSIS OF NATURE

CONSERVANCY AND OUR PARTNERS IS

THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY AND

NEED TO ADD ABOUT 2 MILLION

TREES TO THE CANOPY, WHICH WOULD

GROW IT FROM 22% COVERAGE OF THE

CITY TO 30% COVERAGE.

BUT WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO DO IS

PUT THAT IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT

HAVE VERY FEW TREES.

SO YOU'RE RIGHT.

LIKE, YOU THINK OF CENTRAL PARK.

I LIVE NEAR COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.

THESE ARE THE MOST TREED

SECTIONS OF NEW YORK CITY.

THEY'RE ALREADY ALMOST AT 30%.

BUT IF YOU THINK OF HUNT'S

ISLAND, JAMAICA QUEENS, NORTH

SHORE OF STATEN ISLAND, THESE

ARE TREES THAT HAVE SINGLE DIGIT

PERCENTAGES OF TREE CANOPY WHERE

THEY ARE.

THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE NEED TO

BE FOCUSING THE INVESTMENT IN

THE YEARS AHEAD IS MAKING SURE

THEY GET MORE TREES, THEY GET

MORE PARKS.

>> OF COURSE, AND AS YOU LISTED

OFF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, ONE OF

THE FIRST THINGS THAT CAME TO

MIND IS PEOPLE OF COLOR AND THE

HOUSING DISPARITY THAT HAS

PLAGUED THE CITY FOR

GENERATIONS.

>> EXACTLY.

I MEAN, THE REASON -- THE LACK

OF TREES IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS

IS SYMPTOMATIC OF HISTORIC

POLICIES, ZONINGS, ET CETERA,

WHICH HAVE DISADVANTAGED

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOWER

INCOME COMMUNITIES.

THINGS LIKE RED LINING WHERE,

THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE NOT

ABLE TO HAVE THE SAME ACCESS TO

MORTGAGE LOANS TO BE ABLE TO

INVEST IN HOMES, TO BUY

PROPERTIES, AND THAT HAS JUST

ALL ADDED UP OVER TIME, AND SO

WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO THINK

ABOUT IS, HOW DO WE MAKE INVEST

INVESTMENTS TODAY THAT GIVE THEM

MORE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE

URBAN FOREST, TO PARKS THAT THEY

TOO HAVE PARKS TEN MINUTES

WITHIN THEIR FRONT DOOR WHERE

THEY CAN COOL OFF AND FEEL ALL

THE BENEFITS NATURE PROVIDES.

>> IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO

GO OUTSIDE AND HAVE TREES AND AS

YOU WERE SAYING, CLEANER AIR, ET

CETERA, THERE'S ALSO THE ISSUE

OF HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO SURVIVE

THE SUMMER IN YOUR APARTMENT.

A LOT OF THE NEW BUILDINGS, THIS

WINDOWS ARE CLOSED BECAUSE

THEY'RE CLIMATE CONTROLLED.

BUT SAY YOU'RE IN A NEW BUILDING

A WALKUP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

IS THERE ENOUGH EQUITY WHEN IT

COMES TO AIR-CONDITIONING?

>> NO.

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

AND AIR-CONDITIONING, IT'S A

TRICKY CRAZY THING, BECAUSE ON

THE ONE HAND WE NEED MORE AIR

CONDITIONERS.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF

HEAT WAVES THAT ARE COMING, THE

NUMBER OF DAYS, AND HEAT REALLY

DOES TEND TO MAKE ILL AND EVEN

KILL YOUNGER PEOPLE, OLDER

PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH PREEXISTING

CONDITIONS, AND PEOPLE WITH

FEWER RESOURCES.

BUT THE THING ABOUT AIR

CONDITIONERS IS THEY SPEW OUT

HOT AIR.

LIKE, AS THEY SCHOOL INDOOR

SPACES.

SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU GET IN

REALLY BAD FEEDBACK LOOP WHERE

ALREADY HOT NEIGHBORHOODS.

SO IN THE LONG RUN WHAT WE NEED

TO BE THINKING ABOUT IS HOW DO

WE TAKE ALL THE STEPS OF ADDING

TREES -- WE'RE GOING TO NEED AIR

CONDITIONERS.

IT'S PART OF WHAT WE NEED HERE,

BUT ALSO, LIKE, COOLING CENTERS.

THERE WAS A RECENT ARTICLE

TALKING ABOUT THE ROLE LIBRARIES

PLAY IN PEOPLE'S LIVES AND THE

OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A LOCAL

LIBRARY AND COOL OFF THERE.

ANOTHER THING WE DON'T WANT TO

OVERLOOK IS IT'S SO IMPORTANT IN

TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE

RESILIENCE AND NATURAL

DISASTERS, WHETHER THAT'S HEAT

WAVES, BIG RAIN BOMBS,

HURRICANES, IS THE COHESION OF

COMMUNITIES.

AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

RESILIENCE IS FAR BETTER.

PEOPLE FAIR BETTER THROUGH

NATURAL DISASTERS WHEN THEY'RE

LOOKING AFTER EACH OTHER.

AND SO STEPS WE CAN TAKE, IF

WE'RE LOOKING OUT FOR OUR

NEIGHBORS, CHECKING IN ON THEM.

IF YOU HAVE AN OLDER NEIGHBOR, A

NEIGHBOR WITH PREEXISTING

CONDITIONS, MAKING SURE THEY'RE

OKAY, THAT GOES A LONG WAY TO

FEWER PEOPLE GETTING SICK AND

MORE PEOPLE SURVIVING THE

EFFECTS OF A POWERFUL HEAT WAVE.

SO TOGETHER.

>> AND I THINK THAT'S TRUE IN SO

MANY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.

BUT IS THAT JUST A MATTER OF

MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE ENOUGH

WATER TO HYDRATE, GETTING INTO

COOLING CENTERS?

LIKE, IS IT JUST, HEY, ARE YOU

OKAY?

KIND OF CHECKING IN?

OR IS THERE AN EXTRA STEP BEYOND

THAT?

>> I THINK IT'S EVERYTHING YOU

JUST DESCRIBED.

DEFINITELY CHECKING IN ON

PEOPLE.

BRINGING THEM COOL WATER IF THEY

DON'T HAVE IT.

SOME PEOPLE, IF THEY'RE GROCERY

SHOPPING DAY-TO-DAY AND IT'S,

LETS SAY, 100 DEGREES AND HIGH

HUMIDITY, THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE

TO MAKE THAT TRIP.

IT'S JUST ABOUT CARING FOR

NEIGHBORS.

I LOVE YOUR POINT, WE JUST KIND

OF NEED THIS MORE ALL ACROSS THE

CITY AND COUNTRY THESE DAYS THAT

WE'RE LOOKING OUT AND CHECKING

IN ON EACH OTHER AND SEEING

WHAT'S NEEDED AND RESPONDING TO

THAT.

BUT IT MAY BE TAKING A NEIGHBOR

TO A COOLING SENT OTHER OR

TAKING THEM SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY

CAN COOL OFF IN ORDER TO BE ABLE

TO FAIR AND GET THROUGH A HEAT

WAVE, FOR EXAMPLE.

>> WELL, SPEAKING OF GETTING

THROUGH A HEAT WAVE, THERE'S

ALSO THE ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE,

AS I MENTIONED IN THE INTRO, OF

HURRICANE SEASON, WHICH WE

UNDERSTAND IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN

INCREDIBLY ACTIVE ONE THIS YEAR.

I THINK THAT'S THE KIND OF NEWS

THAT'S GOING TO GIVE ANYONE WHO

LIVES ALONG THE COAST A LEVEL OF

ANXIETY.

>> YEAH, IT'S -- AND YOU

MENTIONED THIS IN YOUR OPEN.

YOU KNOW, NOAA IS PREDICTING A

MORE SEVERE HURRICANE SEASON

THIS YEAR.

WE SHOULD JUST GET USED TO THAT.

ALL THE CLIMATE MODELS SAY THE

EXPECTATION IS HURRICANE SEASON

IS GROWING.

WE'RE SEEING HURRICANES EARLIER

IN THE SEASON.

WE'RE SEEING HURRICANES LATER IN

THE SEASON.

IT'S JUST LIKE WILDFIRES OUT

WEST.

THERE'S ALMOST NO WILDFIRE

SEASON ANYMORE.

THEY'RE JUST COMING ALL THE

TIME.

HURRICANES WON'T COME YEAR

ROUND, BUT THE SEASON'S LONGER

AND THEY'RE GETTING MORE

INTENSE.

THIS IS THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF

HURRICANE SANDY, AND THERE ARE

THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.

THERE ARE INVESTMENTS BEING MADE

AROUND THE CITY, AND WE'RE

SEEING CHANGE, BUT WE NEED TO

PICK UP THE PACE.

WE NEED TO DO MORE.

SO BACK TO THE URBAN FOREST AND

THE TREE CANOPY, YOU KNOW, TO

ADD THOSE 2 MILLION TREES,

THAT'S ABOUT A BILLION DOLLAR

INVESTMENT.

THE GOAL IS TO GET TO 30% CANOPY

COVER BY 2035.

WE NEED TO BE MAKING THE

INVESTMENTS NOW AS A CITY IN

ORDER TO WITHSTAND THE EFFECTS

OF THESE HEAT WAVES AND

HURRICANES THAT ARE ALL COMING

IN OUR FUTURE.

>> OF COURSE, AND WHAT ABOUT

ALSO THE BERMS THAT WERE TALKED

ABOUT SO MUCH AFTER SANDY?

BECAUSE OF COURSE THERE'S THE

WIND AND THE RAIN, BUT IT'S

REALLY THE SEA SURGE FROM A

HURRICANE THAT'S REALLY THE

PROBLEM.

>> WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY ALL OF

THE ABOVE.

I MEAN, THIS IS THE THING, IN A

CLIMATE CHANGING WORLD.

WE HAD HENRI AND IDA LAST AUGUST

THAT DROPPED RECORD BREAKING

RAINFALL IN A WEEK, AND THAT ALL

CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE SKY.

YOUR POINT IS A GOOD ONE.

HURRICANE SANDY, WHICH WAS ABOUT

THE TIDES AND WIND AND CURRENTS,

AND IT JUST PUSHED THAT MASSIVE

VOLUME OF WATER INTO THE CITY.

AND IT'S TOUGH.

I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, THERE

ARE GOING TO BE TRADEOFFS.

IT'S NOT -- THE PATH TO

MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND

BETTER ADAPTING IS NOT GOING TO

BE EASY.

WE HAVE TO BE VERY COMMITTED.

AND THERE WILL BE TRADEOFFS.

I WAS JUST RIDING MY BACK LAST

WEEKEND ALONG THAT EAST SIDE AND

STARTING TO SEE THE BEGINNINGS

OF THE BERM CONSTRUCTION, AND

IT'S VERY DIVIDED.

SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY EXCITED AND

APPRECIATIVE THAT'S COMING AND

SOME PEOPLE ARE REALLY UPSET.

I THINK WHAT WE NEED IS A ROBUST

PROCESS TO ALLOW THE VOICES AND

BEST IDEAS TO GET IN THERE, BUT

WE'RE NOT -- UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE

NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE

EVERYONE HAPPY ALL THE TIME AS

WE MAKE TOUGH CHOICES TO PROMOTE

THE RESILIENCE IN THIS CITY,

WHICH WE SO DESPERATELY NEED.

>> BILL, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 30

SECONDS LEFT.

FOLLOWING THE DECISIONS THAT OUR

GOVERNMENT AT FEDERAL, STATE,

AND LOCAL LEVEL ARE MAKING BUT

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL

THINGS WE CAN EACH BE DOING TO

ENSURE WE HAVE A HEALTHY CITY

IN.

>> NUMBER ONE IS VOTE.

WE'VE GOT A CRAZY PRIMARY SEASON

COMING UP IN NEW YORK, BUT WHEN

ALL THAT DUST SETTLES IN

NOVEMBER ON ELECTION DAY, THERE

IS A $4.2 BILLION BOND ACT, THE

CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, GREEN

JOBS BOND ACT.

WE NEED THAT.

EVERYBODY SHOULD FLIP THEIR

BALLOT OVER AND VOTE YES ON

THAT.

AND THEN THE OTHER THING, TALK

ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE WITH YOUR

NEIGHBORS, WITH YOUR FAMILY.

WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU CARE

ABOUT?

WHAT ARE THE STEPS WE CAN ALL BE

MAKING AND BE READY THE DO YOUR

PART IN MAKING THAT HAPPEN?

LASTLY, KEEP THE THINGS IN YOUR

DAILY LIFE, LIKE RIDING PUBLIC

TRANSIT, COMPOST -- ALL THESE

LITTLE THINGS THAT ADD UP TO

MARKET SIGNALS.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, NEW

YORK NEEDS A MASSIVE CAPITAL

INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE

MITIGATION, AND THE BOND ACT

WILL BRING THAT, SO I ENCOURAGE

EVERYONE TO VOTE YES ON ELECTION

DAY FOR THE BOND ACT.

>> ALL RIGHT, WELL, ON THAT NOTE

WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT.

THANK YOU, BILL OLFELDER.

BILL IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FOR THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN

NEW YORK.

BILL, ALWAYS GREAT TO TALK TO

YOU.

>> THANKS, JANA.

IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC AND

I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.

>> ABSOLUTELY.