SNOW...
SNOW... IT'S BEEN A MILDER THAN USUAL WINTER HERE IN
WESTERN NEW YORK.
AND AS WE EXPLAINED
IN DETAIL LAST NIGHT...
THE EFFECTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE CAN
INDEED LEAD TO MORE
INTENSE SNOW FOR US
EACH YEAR.
TONIGHT IN PART TWO
OF OUR SPECIAL
SERIES ON THE
EARTH'S WARMING...
WE LOOK AT HOW THIS
REGION MAY ACTUALLY
BENEFIT... FROM
"BIGGER" PROBLEMS
ELSEWHERE...
MICHAEL WOOTEN
SHOWS US HOW... IN
THIS 2 ON YOUR SIDE
ORIGINAL REPORT.
ORIGINAL REPORT.
THE
THE BEAT
THE BEAT OF BUFFALO... HAS LONG BEEN INFLUENCED BY THOSE
SEEKING REFUGE HERE.
MANY FLEEING THEIR
WAR-TORN HOMES ... IN
FAR-OFF PLACES.
BUT WESTERN NEW
YORK IS NOW
PREPARING FOR A NEW
TYPE OF REFUGEE.
THOSE ESCAPING
THOSE ESCAPING
RISING
RISING SEA LEVELS... AND OTHER EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
"SOUTH FLORIDA WILL
BE AT GROUND ZERO
FOR HUGE CHANGES."
PLACES LIKE MIAMI ARE
ESPECIALLY AT RISK.
IT ALREADY FLOODS
THERE -- EVEN ON
SUNNY DAYS -- DURING
SO-CALLED "KING
TIDES."
ONE STUDY IN "NATURE"
PREDICTED... BY THE
END OF THIS CENTURY --
13 MILLION "AMERICANS"
WHO LIVE ALONG THE
COASTS... WILL BE
DISPLACED DUE TO
RISING SEA LEVELS.
"THE OCEANS ARE
ABSORBING MUCH OF
THE HEAT FROM
CLIMATE CHANGE."
HARVARD RESEARCHER
JESSE KEENAN TOLD
ME... THESE SO-CALLED
"CLIMATE REFUGEES"...
SHOULD CONSIDER
WESTERN NEW YORK AS
THEIR NEW HOME.
"I THINK IT'S REALLY IN A
POSITION TO REALLY
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THIS AND TO REALLY
PROVIDE A REFUGE FOR
PEOPLE WHO WILL BE
ON THE MOVE."
"IT'S NOT THAT THE
CLIMATE HERE IN
BUFFALO ISN'T GOING TO
CHANGE. IT WILL.
SCIENTISTS JUST SAY
THIS REGION IS BETTER
POSITIONED THAN MOST
TO DEAL WITH WHAT
HAPPENS."
WE'RE FAR ENOUGH
AWAY FROM THE
COAST...
WITH ACCESS TO THE
FRESHWATER GREAT
LAKES...
AND WARMING WILL
RESULT IN A TEMPERATE
CLIMATE...
ADD IN THE FACT THAT
BUFFALO HAS THE
INFRASTRUCTURE -- IN
MANY CASES -- FOR A
LOT MORE PEOPLE THAN
CURRENTLY LIVE HERE...
FOLLOWING DECADES
OF POPULATION LOSS.
"THERE'S A CAPACITY
THERE IN TERMS OF
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
AND IN PLACE THAT I
THINK IS QUITE
PROFOUND, AND AS
WELL, YOU ALSO HAVE
ACCESS TO POTABLE
WATER AND
FRESHWATER, AND IN
THE FUTURE, THAT'S
GOING TO BE A
TREMENDOUS
RESOURCE."
TREMENDOUS RESOURCE." KEENAN LISTS
BUFFALO... ALONG WITH
DELUTH, MINNESOTA...
AND BURLINGTON,
VERMONT... AS THE
MOST DESIRABLE
PLACES IN THE
COUNTRY FOR THESE
CLIMATE REFUGEES.
"BUFFALO IS GOING TO
BE ONE OF THE BEST
PLACES TO LIVE."
BRENDAN MEHAFFY
HEADS UP STRATEGIC
PLANNING FOR THE
QUEEN CITY...
"IS BUFFALO PREPARED
AND WILL BUFFALO BE
ABLE TO ACCEPT
PERHAPS THOUSANDS,
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE IN THE COMING
YEARS? I THINK SO."
"WE'RE BUILDING A CITY
TO GROW, AND AGAIN
WHATEVER THAT
FACTOR IS THAT WE WILL
BE PREPARED FOR IT."
"WE'LL BE READY FOR
WHAT COMES OUR WAY."
MEHAFFY'S BOSS...
MAYOR BYRON BROWN...
DECLARED BUFFALO A
"CLIMATE REFUGE CITY"
DURING HIS STATE OF
THE CITY ADDRESS LAST
YEAR.
"WHAT IS THE
PREPARATION WORK
LIKE RIGHT NOW IN
ANTICIPATION OF THIS?
WELL IT IS THINGS LIKE
THE GREEN CODE THAT
WE'VE UNDERTAKEN
AND LOOKING TO SEE,
WORKING WITH PEOPLE
WHO LIVE HERE RIGHT
NOW, SAYING HOW DO
WE MAKE BUFFALO EVEN
BETTER THAN IT IS."
"A LOT OF THIS IS JUST
BUILDING A CITY THAT
ALLOWS FOR ECONOMIC
MOBILITY AND ALLOWS
FOR A GREAT QUALITY
OF LIFE."
"I THINK THE
CHALLENGE FOR
BUFFALO IS TO THINK
ABOUT, WELL HOW DO
WE HOUSE THESE
PEOPLE IN TERMS OF
SUSTAINABLE URBAN
DEVELOPMENT. HOW DO
WE LESSEN OUR
FOOTPRINT. WE CAN'T
ALL LIVE IN MEGA-
MANSIONS. HOW DO WE
PROVIDE ACCESS TO
HOUSING AND
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
NEAR TRANSPORTATION.
HOW DO WE MANAGE
STORMWATER RUNOFF
SO WE CAN MANAGE
WATER QUALITY IN THE
LAKE."
ON THE ISSUE OF
HOUSING...
SINCE 2006... ALMOST
19-HUNDRED
AFFORDABLE UNITS
HAVE BEEN BUILT IN
BUFFALO... IN ADDITION
TO FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE TO LOWER-
INCOME HOMEOWNERS.
IT'S A NEAR HALF-
BILLION DOLLAR
INVESTMENT IN
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
NO DOUBT -- YOU'D
NEED MORE OF THE
SAME IF BUFFALO
REALLY DOES WELCOME
MANY UPROOTED BY
THE CHANGING CLIMATE.
"WHAT
"WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY OR EVEN
BEYOND WHO ARE
BEING DISPLACED OR
NOW OR WILL BE
DISPLACED WHY
BUFFALO IS A GOOD
PLACE? WELL IT'S LIKE
EVERYBODY, WE'RE A
GOOD PEOPLE AT THE
END OF THE DAY, AND
WE'RE A VERY
WELCOMING PEOPLE,
AND THAT ONCE YOU
GET HERE THERE'S A
LOT OF GOOD THINGS IN
TERMS OF IN
PARTICULAR IF YOU'RE
RAISING A FAMILY."
"WE'RE WORKING ON
CREATING MORE OF
THOSE JOBS. WE'RE
WORKING ON CREATING
MORE OF THOSE
HOUSING
OPPORTUNITIES, BUT AT
ITS CORE, WE'VE GOT
GREAT PEOPLE...... SO
THE CITY OF GOOD
NEIGHBORS PIECE IS A
BIG PART FOR PEOPLE
TO UNDERSTAND."
TO UNDERSTAND."
A
A COUPLE
A COUPLE OF FOOTNOTES. BUFFALO CITY LEADERS
AREN'T ACTIVELY OUT
PROMOTING THIS
REGION FOR CLIMATE
REFUGEES... FOR ONE
THAT WOULD LOOK
BAD.
YOU DON'T WISH
SOMETHING BAD ON
FOLKS.
BUT IN SOME WAYS
THEY DON'T NEED TO
BECAUSE THERE'S
BEEN SO MUCH
PUBLICITY
SURROUNDING THIS.
FINALLY... I'VE ALREADY
HEARD FROM CLIMATE
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES.