The New York City area faces immediate and long-term climate-related risks from increased heat waves, heavy rainfall events, and sea-level rise. As metropolitan regions around the world assess their adaptive capacity for climate change, libraries are all too often overlooked in climate adaptation planning.
Our report, Climate Change Exposure for METRO Region, is based on a study by Eira Tansey of Memory Rising, carried out between February and June 2023. This report contains the findings and recommendations of a study to contextualize and understand climate change exposure for METRO’s membership region. This study consisted of extensive research into existing state and local climate action plans, as well as publicly available METRO member institution sustainability or climate action plans. The research informed four recommendations for METRO to support its members through climate change action and adaptation activities.