Mayor Bloomberg has launched the Climate Change Adaptation Task Force and the New York City Panel on Climate Change to develop strategies to secure the City's infrastructure from the effects of climate change.

New York is a low-lying city, and is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges associated with global warming, reports Environment News Service. Rising temperatures will strain NYC’s existing electrical grid, and Mayor Bloomberg has planned to map out how the city will respond to a changing climate.

The Climate Change Adaptation Task Force was one of the 127 initiatives proposed in PlaNYC, the City's long-term sustainability plan. Those involved will begin the process of creating a coordinated plan to adapt the city’s means of transportation, water and sewer systems, electricity production, telecommunication networks, and other critical infrastructure.

"We face two urgent challenges—both of which we're responding to as part of PlaNYC," Mayor Bloomberg said. "First, we have to shrink our carbon footprint to slow climate change. Second, we have to adapt to the environmental changes that are already beginning to take place. For example, raise critical infrastructure, like back-up generators, to higher ground in areas prone to flooding. Changes in the way we maintain and operate our infrastructure can help secure our City."