Stony Brook University Professor Donovan Finn Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Environmental Protection

NEW YORK, NY (10/20/2021) (readMedia)-- Donovan Finn, Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, testified today at the New York City Council's Committee on Environmental Protection, Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts, and Committee on Parks and Recreation.

In his testimony, Finn warned that, "we cannot build [climate] resilience with just concrete and pipes. We must also remake our entire urban system, reinventing this concrete jungle as a green sponge that absorbs stormwater and harnesses natural systems to solve environmental, economic, and social equity challenges." He pointed to other cities showing the way, but advised that solutions must be locally tailored. In New York, "rethinking our streets as the kidneys of the city would sequester dangerous stormwater, make walking and bicycling safer, and improve public health, mental health, and social equity."

Finn also mentioned the transformative environmental, economic and social solutions that Stony Brook is envisioning for a new center for climate solutions on Governors Island. "Leveraging the city's expertise and workforce, we can develop and help implement such solutions throughout the region and become a global leader for climate solutions."

See attached and below for Finn's testimony.

Donovan Finn, Testimony For New York City Council
Committee on Environmental Protection; Jointly with the Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts and the Committee on Parks and Recreation
2pm, October 20, 2021

My name is Donovan Finn. I am an Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, and a proud resident of Jackson Heights, Queens.

I study societal risks from climate change and analyze how cities are adapting. So, let me first applaud the Council for its resiliency efforts, which are both progressive and enormously important. But the takeaway from our research is simple: As events like Sandy and Ida illustrate, the effects of human-caused climate change are not imminent. They arrived yesterday. Only aggressive action can protect us from a grim future of our own making.

Stormwater flooding is a textbook example.

The most sophisticated climate science, like that produced by my Stony Brook colleagues, tells us that our future will be wetter, and more extreme. But we cannot build resilience with just concrete and pipes. We must also remake our entire urban system, reinventing this concrete jungle as a green sponge that absorbs stormwater and harnesses natural systems to solve environmental, economic, and social equity challenges.

This will require rethinking our entire system of planning and governance, from parks and transportation to education, economic development, and environmental justice.

Other cities are showing us the way. The underground parking garage in Rotterdam that holds 3 million gallons of stormwater. The three "resilience parks" in Hoboken that have turned toxic brownfields into recreational space and storage for 2 million gallons of stormwater.

But solutions must be locally tailored. In this city, our most abundant resource is 6,000 miles of streets, comprising 27% of the city's land. Rethinking our streets as the kidneys of the city would sequester dangerous stormwater, make walking and bicycling safer, and improve public health, mental health, and social equity. The interconnected benefits are limitless.

These are also the kinds of transformative environmental, economic and social solutions that the city and universities, including Stony Brook, are envisioning for a new center for climate solutions on Governors Island. Leveraging the city's expertise and workforce we can develop and help implement such solutions throughout the region and become a global leader for climate solutions.

These challenges are daunting and effective solutions will be expensive and sometimes politically volatile. The council and city agencies have made laudable progress, but we must continue to use the best scientifically informed policies and technologies to accelerate these efforts. History will judge us harshly if we choose not to seize the opportunity to address the clear warning signs the Earth is sending us.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important topic.