WHAT: David W. Wolfe, professor of plant and soil ecology and co-author of the upcoming NYSERDA study focused on preparing New York for climate change, talks about the security of food, water and city subways at the next Inside Cornell media luncheon.

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Cornell’s ILR Conference Center, sixth floor, 16 E. 34th St., Manhattan.

MEDIA NOTE: Journalists are invited to attend this lunch with David Wolfe. To RSVP, please contact John Carberry at (607) 255-5353 or (607) 227-0767, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. – From snowfall in the Catskills that supply drinking water to ocean temperatures offshore that feed powerful hurricanes, climate change is happening and it will change how New Yorkers live, work and play.

The only question is, will we be ready?

Climate change researcher David W. Wolfe says New York can be prepared, but we need to understand the changes to come and start getting ready to face them today.

Wolfe, a professor of plant and soil ecology at Cornell University and climate change advisor for The New York Botanical Garden, is one of the world’s leading experts on the challenges facing food crops, landscapes and ecosystems. A climate change researcher since 1990 and leader of the climate change team at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Wolfe is one of the leaders of a multi-university team brought together by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to study how shifting weather patterns will affect everything from food and drinking water to energy supplies, subway lines and coastal flooding.

On Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Cornell’s ILR Conference Center in Midtown, Wolfe will talk about the wide range of changes researchers see in New York’s future and what work on the upcoming NYSERDA report has taught him about how we’ll weather the storm.

About Inside Cornell: This event is part of a monthly series held in New York City featuring high-interest experts working at Cornell University's centers in Ithaca, Manhattan and around the world. The free, catered lunch sessions are on-the-record, and media members are welcome to record video and audio as desired.

Contact the Press Relations Office for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.