Can New York Adapt the Subway for the Climate Crisis?

"Videos of " waterfalls" forming inside stations circulated online, reflecting what has become a new norm of commuter chaos amid extreme weather events. In July, videos of passengers climbing their way out of a submerged station similarly went viral. During the summer, riders face sweltering heat in poorly ventilated stations, as 90 degrees Fahrenheit days and dire heat waves become more likely."

"As a largely underground system, the subway is profoundly vulnerable to flooding as climate change intensifies downpours, fuels coastal erosion, and raises sea levels that threaten to inundate entire neighborhoods. The need to adapt and upgrade the 120-year-old system, built for an entirely different climate, has become more pronounced amid concerns about a cost-of-living crisis that propelled Mamdani's campaign, which focused on the intertwined issues of affordability and transit."

Record rainfalls and extreme weather events have increasingly flooded subway stations, with videos showing waterfalls inside stations and passengers escaping submerged platforms. Summer heat exacerbates conditions as poorly ventilated stations expose riders to more frequent 90°F days and heat waves. The underground nature of the 120-year-old subway makes it especially vulnerable to intensified downpours, coastal erosion, and sea-level rise that threaten entire neighborhoods. Urban transit faces urgent needs for adaptation and upgrades to cope with a rapidly changing climate while also addressing affordability concerns tied to recent political campaigns. State officials initiated an investigation into transit climate vulnerability.

Read at The Nation