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NEW YORK, NY July 12, 2007 —Rising sea levels, hotter summers and damaged crops are all part of the long term forecast for the region, according to a new report on climate change. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

If current levels of greenhouse gas emissions continue, summer in New York could feel like summer in Georgia by the end of the century. Researchers from the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment group worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists to come up with local models based on data from the latest United Nations climate report.

Their report predicts a drastically shorter ski season, coastal flooding, and dairy farms that can't produce as much milk because cows thrive on cooler temperatures. The report urges the region to continue shifting to more energy efficient technologies and building codes. But even with cutbacks in emissions, researchers say there are enough greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere for New York to get as warm as Virginia by the end of the century. For WNYC, I'm Beth Fertig.