Science

City-commissioned climate change report offers dire warnings

The Harbor: The waters of the harbor actually turned brown in the summer of 1919, when a storage tank exploded and sent 2.3 million gallons of molasses pouring through the streets of the North End. The Boston Molasses Disaster produced a wave that was 24 feet at its peak. John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe

By Eric Levenson

June 14, 2016

1 minute to read

Updated climate projections for the city of Boston warn of the potential for rising sea levels, extreme precipitation, and more summer heat waves if emissions aren’t reduced.

That analysis comes from a just-released report developed by climate scientists and led by UMass Boston School for the Environment, according to a statement from Mayor Marty Walsh’s office. The analysis, part of the city’s Climate Ready Boston initiative, updated existing reports and will be used to make predictions and policies to combat climate change.

“We’re taking climate change seriously because we take the health and resilience of our City seriously,” Walsh said in a statement. “I’m proud of the bold approach we’re taking to prepare Boston for the impacts of climate change and am eager to tackle the next steps.”

The report warns of severe weather-related consequences if the city does not cut back on carbon dioxide emissions, which have contributed to the increase in average temperatures. That could mean more days of extreme heat in the summer and more instances of heavy precipitation.

In addition, sea levels could increase by about 7 feet by the year 2100 under a specific high-emission scenario in which emissions are not cut, the report says.

The projected rise in sea levels.

“The findings confirm the seriousness of the changes that Boston will face,” the city of Boston said in a press release. “They also emphasize that the magnitude of the changes in the second half of the century depend greatly on our success in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions now.reads a summary of the findings.”

Climate Ready Boston is expected to also create a city-wide climate vulnerability assessment as well as a resiliency roadmap by the end of the summer, according to the city.