Back in 2007, Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on climate change. In his acceptance speech, the former vice president warned the polar ice cap was "falling off a cliff." He cited a study showing that "it could happen in as little as seven years."
Well, 2014 has now arrived. But studies show that not only has the ice cap not disappeared the way Gore had suggested it would, it has increased in size by 43 percent.
We mention this only because the Metropolitan Transit Authority has just completed a study about what global warming will means for our city's subways.
It says the system will be more vulnerable to flooding and malfunctions if global warming raises temperatures. The findings by the agency's Transportation Reinvention Commission will help "inform the MTA's 2015–2019 Capital Plan," says its Web site.
After the city's experience with Sandy, we doubt there are many New Yorkers who aren't happy to see the MTA take steps to help insulate the subway system from the wrath of Mother Nature. Joe Lhota, who was running the MTA when Sandy struck, in fact did a yeoman's job of protecting the system and getting it up and running again when the storm was over.
We just believe that there are many more immediate issues facing the MTA. Not because there aren't threats from nature. But because many of the dire predictions about climate change — like Gore's about the polar ice — have proved unreliable.
After all, it's not as if there isn't plenty the MTA could be doing to improve the system. That includes measures as small as countdown clocks in all stations.
Not to mention dealing with bedbug outbreaks and finally finishing the Second Avenue subway. And if the MTA wants to worry about something, it could start with its perpetually squeezed capital program.
In July, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli warned the program may be as much as $12 billion short. Even if the commission is right about the climate threat, it's not going to matter if the MTA doesn't have the money to pay for the needed upgrades and infrastructure.
So while we're glad to see the MTA looking for ways to meet future challenges, we'd say riders would be better served by a little more attention to the fundamentals of the here and now.
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