MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — New York's mayor has plans to expand Manhattan's coastline to safeguard the island from the effects of climate change.<br /><br />Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to artificially extend the southern tip of Manhattan to protect it from rising sea levels and storm surges, the New York Times reports.<br /><br />According to a Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study, 37 percent of Lower Manhattan will be at risk from a storm surge by 2050.<br /><br />In an op-ed published in New York Magazine, de Blasio said the coastline of Lower Manhattan will be extended as much as 500 feet into the East River.<br /><br />Landfill will be used to extend the coastline. This would create a rising berm that would be above future sea levels, according to the New York Times.<br /><br />He added that grassy berms in parks and removable barriers will also be used to protect the island from storm surges.<br /><br />According to de Blasio's op-ed in New York Magazine, the coastal extension project will cost around US$10 billion.
