Wildlife in Hot Water: Philadelphia Edition

This is the first in a multi-part series localizing the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) recent report, Wildlife in Hot Water: America’s Waterways and Climate Change.

Last week, PennFuture joined the NWF in Scranton to release its new report, which examines the affects climate change is having on wildlife and the nation’s waterways. 

The report details the rapid changes to the Earth’s water cycle that are already having negative impacts on ecosystems. As a result of disruptive carbon pollution, these changes include earlier and more rapid snowmelt, fewer and more intense rainfall events, and more frequent and extreme droughts and floods. The very character, chemistry, and quality of our waterways are changing in some of the following ways: 

• Reduced dissolved oxygen levels in streams and lakes
• Loss of habitat for cold and cool water fish species as climate change is prompting warmer temperatures
• Loss of wetlands and reduced riparian/floodplain connectivity
• Loss of upstream/downstream connectivity caused by the drying of stream and river reaches
• Reduced extent, diversity, and quality of in-stream habitat for aquatic biota
• Increased pollutant concentrations from urban and agricultural runoff

These effects are already being felt throughout Pennsylvania. Last Wednesday, speakers at our press event discussed the negative effects of climate change on water and wildlife in the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers. But northeast Pennsylvania isn’t the only region of the commonwealth feeling these effects. The City of Philadelphia, bordered by two tidal rivers, is particularly at risk to sea level rise and extreme weather events. 

Flooding on Kelly Drive in Philadelphia

Some findings concerning Philadelphia and climate change-related flooding:

• According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), nuisance flooding in Philadelphia – think road closures, overwhelmed storm drains, and infrastructure damage – has increased by 650 percent over the past 50 years. This significant increase is due to many factors, including climate-related sea level rise. NOAA concluded in its report that acceleration in sea level rise “will further intensify nuisance flooding impacts over time, and will further reduce the time between flood events.” 
• Sea levels in the Delaware Estuary have already risen by about a foot in the last century and experts expect to experience a rise of at last three more feet within ninety years.
• A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists projects that over the next thirty years tidal flooding events in Philadelphia will grow in frequency from 19 to 200 per year.
• The National Weather Service’s Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model shows the that large sections of Philadelphia would be inundated if a Category 1 or 2 hurricane were to directly impact the region. In particular, southwest Philadelphia, which includes the Eastwick neighborhood as well as Philadelphia International Airport, would be particularly vulnerable to surge flooding where water levels would be higher than the elevation of the area. In an op-ed in Plan Philly’s Eyes on the Street blog, author Amy Laura Cahn shares that during Hurricane Floyd, “Eastwick’s slab-on-grade homes filled with six feet of water.” As a result, Eastwick residents have experienced spikes in the cost of flood insurance. 

Without climate action, it is expected that the rate of sea level rise will accelerate and extreme weather events will occur with greater frequency. Fortunately, there are many options for combating the causes of climate change while simultaneously preserving and protecting wildlife and the waterways they depend on, including: 

• Supporting the Clean Power Plan and reducing our carbon footprint: The Environment Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan is an important step first step toward mitigating climate change. The plan presents opportunities to not only reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants, but to also invest in a zero-carbon, clean energy future. The commonwealth should expand upon its existing wind, solar, and energy efficiency programs to meet our reduction goals in a manner that is both cost-effective and emissions-neutral. 
• Encouraging Clean Water Act Protections: In order to better protect our wildlife and waters, support for the Clean Water Rule is essential. Without this rule, at least 60 percent of America’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands would be left vulnerable to the destructive hands of industrial activities. 

In the coming weeks, we plan to share more region-specific stories that underscore the need to act on climate to protect our waterways and wildlife. Stay tuned!

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.  

Rallying along the Lackawanna River for climate action

Rep. Matt Cartwright and NWF's Ed Perry

More than 50 citizens, conservation groups, and outdoor enthusiasts came out in force along Scranton's Lackawanna River on August 12 to support taking action on climate change as it impacts our waterways and wildlife across the country. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and PennFuture, with state and local partners, gathered at a press event for the release of Wildlife in Hot Water: Climate Change and America’s Waterways. This new NWF report highlighted how dramatic climate changes are putting our waterways at risk and what we must do to protect them. Rivers like the Lackawanna, seventeen miles of which is a Class A Wild Trout stream, are key economic and recreation drivers as well as natural treasures, as many of the speakers pointed out.


Speakers included U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, 17th Congressional District; Natalie Gelb, executive director of Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area; Bernie McGurl, executive director of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association; Dan Alters, Lycoming Audubon Society; Ed Perry, Pennsylvania outreach coordinator, National Wildlife Federation; and PennFuture Policy Director Matt Stepp.

Sen. Bob Casey's district director, Kristin Magnotta, was in attendance and supporters had the opportunity to thank the Senator for his recent statement on climate change. Representatives of other area groups included Lackawanna Trout Unlimited, SEEDS of Honesdale, Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, North Pocono CARE, members of conservation and faith communities, and citizens from around northeast Pennsylvania.

What can you do? Our U.S. senators will be critical in determining the fate of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan to address climate change. Please call on Sens. Casey and Toomey to publicly support the final rule. Make your voice heard today!

It was a great day along the Lackawanna River Trail for clean air and water -- and special thanks to the Lackawanna Heritage Valley staff for all their assistance on the trail location!

Kate Gibbons is Northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Wilkes-Barre.