People look at the Golden Gate Bridge at an observation deck during the rain on January 15, 2023 in Sausalito, California.
Liu Guanguan | Chinese Intelligence Service | Getty Images
Climate change poses a significant threat to the economies of American cities, with metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, New York City, and Phoenix among the most at risk from sea level rise, extreme heat, and water stress. new message from Moody’s Analytics.
The report, which assesses which cities are most vulnerable or resilient to climate change, calculates its projections based on two different risk categories – long-term exposure to drought, extreme heat and sea-level rise, and short-term exposure to hurricanes. , forest fires and floods.
“Absent policy change, large coastal states like California, Florida and New York are particularly vulnerable, while other inland northern economies will fare only slightly worse, with a handful of small metro areas possibly benefiting slightly,” Adam wrote Kamins, Moody’s senior director and author of the report.
The worst-performing metro areas include San Francisco, California; Cape Coral, Florida; New York City, New York; Long Island, New York; Oakland, California; and Phoenix, Arizona, the report found.
San Francisco is not particularly prone to any hazard, but above-average risk from each category makes it the single most exposed large metro area, the report said.
New York City is particularly vulnerable to significant losses from sea level rise. Manhattan is surrounded by water, and frequent flooding could “prove to be crippling to an economy where much activity — and the ability to travel — is tied to low-lying ground or subway tunnels,” the report said.
In Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, they are most vulnerable to chronic climate risk due to increased water stress, even though their inland location makes them immune to sea-level rise. Other western states like New Mexico and Utah will also endure water stress as drought conditions worsen.
US METROS least exposed to extreme heat, sea level rise and drought include Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Detroit, Michigan; Knoxville, Tenn.; Warren, Michigan; and Dayton, Ohio.
Baton Rouge is one of the most climate-resilient areas because it has better access to fresh water and is not exposed to sea level rise, although Louisiana as a whole experiences more severe and frequent climate disasters such as hurricanes.
