Climate scientist: Sandy just a taste of things to come

By Samuel Burke

Superstorm Sandy is a sign of more things to come, says climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer.

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Oppenheimer said that New York City officials have been getting warnings from scientists for two decades about the potential damage from a major storm.

“We had one of these hundred-year storms in 1992, and since then, they've know the subway system could flood. They've known the power could go out. And they actually laid plans for the future, which are sensitive to global warming and the threat, but they don't have the political will to actually start moving very fast and putting anything into effect.”

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As part of the rebuilding effort, he said, New York should raise subway entrances and protect roadways to prevent water from flowing in. Oppenheimer also believes that the government should also prevent companies from building major infrastructure along the coastline, unless absolutely necessary.

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