8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 11, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Map shows Queens under water
if sea levels reach breaking point
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
A new Google Earth plugin allows users
to explore how rising sea levels would
aff ect their neighborhoods and the tool
shows that large swaths of Queens would
be completely fl ooded.
Surging Seas:Extreme Scenario 2100
was created by Climate Central, an organization
of scientists and journalists who
report on the impact of climate change.
Th e plugin uses data from a report by
the National and Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), which estimates
that sea levels across the United
States could rise by eight feet by 2100.
Th e organization also predicts that an
extreme sea level scenario may cause sea
levels to rise by 10 to 12 feet in some cases
if the country does not transition to clean
energy alternatives.
Th e map shows that large swaths of
Long Island City would be submerged
in water including landmarks such as
Gantry Plaza State Park.
JFK and LaGuardia Airports would also
be fl ooded along with Flushing Meadows
Corona Park and sections of north
Astoria, College Point, Flushing and most
of the the Rockaways.
Climate Central also found that New
York would be the second most aff ected
state if this extreme sea level rise were to
occur. An average high tide would be two
feet higher than Hurricane Sandy’s fl ood
level and would aff ect an area currently
inhabited by more than 800,000 residents.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has outlined a
plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
80 percent by 2050 in a report titled
OneNYC. To complete this goal, the city
has phased out the use of number 6 fuel
oil and nearly 6,000 buildings city wide
have converted to using cleaner fuels for
heat.
In terms of transportation, the city has
purchased hundreds of electric vehicles
since 2015 with the goal of amassing a
fl eet of 2,000 electric vehicles by 2025. Th e
Department of Transportation has also
installed many miles of bike lanes citywide
to encourage residents to use alternative
forms of transportation. A city
report found that bicycle trips increased
in 2016 by 150 percent, or by 98 million
from 2006.
Th e Department of Sanitation expanded
its curbside collection program to
more than 700,000 New Yorkers to divert
organic waste from landfi lls and the
mayor is looking to require landlords to
retrofi t older, larger buildings to make
them more energy effi cient.
New York City and other coastal cities
around the country are taking steps to
curb greenhouse gases and become more
energy effi cient to try to combat the projected
aff ects.
A city report estimates that the mean
annual temperature is projected to
increase between 4.1 and 6.6 degrees
Fahrenheit by 2050 and that the sea level
is expected to continue rising by 11 to 21
inches by 2050.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons/
AEMoreira042281 and Inset photo via NYPD
Police are looking for a man who assaulted
a 59-year-old on the N train in Astoria.
Man slashed
and bashed
N train rider
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
Cops need your help in identifying
a man who punched and sliced
a 59-year-old man on the N train in
Astoria.
According to police, the incident
occurred at about 10:50 p.m. on Jan. 4
when the suspect began arguing with
the victim as he entered the N train
at the Ditmars Boulevard stop. Th e
argument escalated and the suspect
proceeded to punch the victim in the
head and face, which caused swelling.
Law enforcement sources said the
perpetrator then used an unknown
object to cut the victim’s forehead
when the train pulled up to the
Astoria Boulevard station. Th e suspect
fl ed the scene; the victim was
taken to Mount Sinai Hospital to be
treated.
Th e suspect is described as a black
man in his mid to late 20s, approximately
5 feet, 7 inches and 210
pounds. He was last seen wearing a
green jacket, T-shirt and a military
style book bag.
Anyone with information in
regards to this incident is asked to
call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or
for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782).
Th e public can also submit their tips
by logging onto the Crime Stoppers
website or by texting their tips to
274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls and messages are kept confi
dential.
Photos via Climate Central
A Google Earth plugin allows people to see what their neighborhoods would look like if sea levels rose.
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