One of the most backward, impoverished states of the entire UuuuNited States of 'Merica has figured out it's, well, it's screwed. The epiphany came in the form of
a roadmap to sea level rise, storm surge, coastal and lowland inundation just released by the state government entitled "Our Land and Water" that's mainly about a lot more water and a lot less land. The 1,500 page report warns that southern Louisiana is facing an existential crisis.
"There are ways for us to make coastal communities more livable, resilient and viable post-disaster, just by making the whole community more resilient ... so that businesses and government services can all get back to work more quickly after a disaster," said Pat Forbes, executive director of Louisiana's Office of Community Development, which produced the report along with the Foundation for Louisiana.
In other areas, people will have little choice but to leave as the water rises. The plan, in a departure from many adaptation reports, also focuses on how inland areas can prepare for an influx of new residents from the coasts.
"There's a sort of self-displacement that's occurring over the past 15 years or so," Forbes said. As large numbers of people move out of coastal communities, the shift is likely a sign that they are sick of flooding, worried about inability to get to schools or jobs or unable to pay rising flood insurance rates. "I'm sure it's a combination of all those things and more," he said.
3 comments:
New Orleans? .. an early victim. Coastal BC ... not immune
A 25 to 50 meters sea level rise will happen.
Even if all carbon pollution stopped today.
(See 'latency of CO2 effect' https://skepticalscience.com/Climate-Change-The-40-Year-Delay-Between-Cause-and-Effect.html)
If we are lucky it is several centuries away but our grandchildren will be dealing with the early stages (along with multiple environmental catastrophes)
Our rocky shores offer hope for the future as we retreat from the sea. High ground is often not far away. The same can't be said for the low-lying Fraser River estuary, a.k.a. the Lower Mainland. That heavily populated areas is exposed to severe threats from any combination of early spring runoffs, sea level rise backing up the Fraser, king tides and storm surge.
I understand the City of Richmond is sitting on a development proposal that would see at risk homes raised on pilings (stilts). I'm not sure if those homeowners are ready for that degree of adaptation.
Post a Comment