Coastal change and the inland folk

 

Beach at Pacific Coast (Photo credit: Frank Kehren)

Reports are in. There is empirical and substantial evidence that our coasts are changing. Sea level rise aggravates the impact of relatively minor storms such as tropical storms and category 1 hurricanes. As exemplified recently in the North East coasts, the devastation for coastal communities can be and is catastrophic.  People lose their homes, lands, friends, family and even their own lives.  This is said not to be morbid but rather to present an ever present reality.  If planners and coastal communities remain with the present development mentality, this kind of senseless catastrophic loss will only continue. But wait, what does this have to do with inland communities? Everything.

One of the best advices for coastal communities is to focus their development farther from the coasts.  In other words, go inland.  And with over 50% of US populations living near the coasts, this shift presents several problems. For starters, how will our current transportation infrastructure handle the added impact of this increase in volume?  It is no secret that our

Transportation (Photo credit: steam_rocket)

transportation plexus is being out passed by population growth and the pervasive reliance on the automobile is negating planning efforts to diversify transportation options in order to alleviate this problem. There is a limit to how much our roads can handle, and the automobile, for all its glory, consumes too much space.  This will only be exacerbated when coastal communities finally start moving inland. But our road network is not the only problem; housing also becomes a very real and lacking resource. Presently, there is a dearth of affordable housing in the United States.  As more people are impacted by the effects of sea level rise and coastal change, people are going to need homes inland, and these homes will need to be affordable.  Current credit restrictions have the potential to further complicate obtaining homes for people who are displaced.

The solution is not a simple one.  The complexity of the situation demands a fairly complex solution. But it starts with public education of the current trend of coastal change.  Because the fact that this catastrophic impact is felt most on the coast, does not mean that it won’t affect the rest of us who live inland, and to be blindsided by politics, laziness, and selfishness can be just as catastrophic, not just for the few, but for all of us.

A Song and Global Warming

With a good workout behind me I slap on my headphones and start heading home.  The song “Miracles (Above and Beyond Mix) starts playing saying:

Don’t they know that there’s something going on
What they’re harming with their indecision
But who will be left standing when I’m gone?
There’ll be nothing left but a vision

It’s too easy to turn a blind eye to the light
It’s too easy to bow your head and pray
There are some times when you should try to find your voice
This is one voice that you must find today

Are you hoping for a miracle
As the ice caps melt away?
No use hoping for a miracle
There’s a price we’ll have to pay

Lyrics obtained from:   http://www.6lyrics.com/miracle28-lyrics-oceanlab.aspx

My mind starts racing.  I hadn’t stop to listen what the song was saying until now.  Maybe because I had to walk a long distance back home and I had nothing else to do but listen to the lyrics of this song.  Maybe, but whatever the case maybe, the truth of this song got me thinking.

In truth, we behave as if we are blind to what our environment is going through.  This is not some hippy, tree hugging sentiment.  The fact of the matter is that if the planet goes, so do we.  Effects on the planet show that this is not far from the truth as several signs shout the fact that our planet is changing and not for the better.  For example:

1. The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies.

1. The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

1. Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier.

1. An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

(this information is obtained from :http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html)

With all these changes happening so rapidly, it’s difficult to believe that some question the validity of Global warming.  Some say that this happens every so often within the history of the earth and that the present research wrongfully blame the “human factor”.  These critics have resorted to trying to make climate change Illegal.  North Carolina is a state that has 301 miles of coast line second only to Florida which has 580 miles of general coastline (On the Atlantic side).  Coast lines of course are prime real-estate (Keep that in mind).  The state’s Coastal Resources Commission recommends planning around a 39-inch rise in sea level by 2100.  These are all suggestions based on the findings of scientific research.  However, North Carolina has difficulty accepting this recommendation because, according to Tom Thompson, chairman of NC-20 an economic development group representing North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties “We’re skeptical of the rising sea level science”.  Mr. Thompson, I completely understand your skepticism.  Really.  I mean, when you stand to lose so much money over scientific research that says you have to develop coastal lines with people’s safety in mind, it makes perfect sense (enter sarcasm).

Unfortunately, the debate about global warming is not whether it’s happening or not (unless you’re North Carolina).  The true debate is whether we are selfless enough to do something about it.  The obvious fact is that global warming will affect this generation, but the true devastating damage will probably occur in the next generation.  Therefore, we will probably miss the true catastrophe of global warming.  Good new right?  If you don’t give a flip about the next generation, sure, its excellent news.  I hope however that this sentiment is the vast, vast, vast minority and the most humane, decent human beings will actually care about what happens to the next generation who will inherit a problem of global proportion…literally.

And so, going back to the song (check out this link if you want to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UsuVT)

There are a few truths that are so beautifully presented.

1. Ignorance is a huge problem.  People don’t yet realize the danger that we are in.  Politicians refuse to take action because they are afraid of the political repercussions, while the window for global catastrophe mitigation closes at a rapid pace.  Some hide behind the action of bowing  “your head and pray” but this needs to translate into “getting up and doing something”.
2. Action must be taken now.  No more idle talk, we need to find our active voice and demand change.  Demand for better planning.  Demand for better alternatives to fuel, transportation, responsible architecture, etc.  Instead of Subsidies to environmentally damaging industries (like the automobile and oil), subsidize the industry that can help break free from the environmental plumage, like solar power, recyclable building materials, planning (so that better cities can be planned).
3. Doing nothing is easy.  Good intentions are not enough.  Actions are needed now.  Doing nothing is easy (which is bad since America has a reputation of being lazy).

My plea to you is that: you try to make any and every effort you can to educate yourself (don’t take my blog for it) concerning global

English: Hugging a Giant Sequoia in Sequoia National Park USA (photo by Joseph Cesare) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

warming, but act on what you learn.  We are passed the making fun of the “tree huggers” phase.  We all need to be tree hugging.  God knows they’ve hugged us long enough.

Juan Castillo Jr.