I live in Mathews County Virginia which is a part of Hampton Roads.
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and a metropolitan region in Southeastern Virginia, United States. Comprising the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metropolitan area, Hampton Roads is known for its large military presence, ice-free harbor, shipyards, coal piers, and miles of waterfront property and beaches, all of which contribute to the diversity and stability of the region's economy.
The "large military presence" is the clue to the answer to the diary's question. The military is indeed getting worried about climate change and for good reason. Read on below to find out why.
An article in the Virginia Pilot explains why:Toll and Titley: The threat in Hampton Roads
Rising seas, extreme storm surge and recurrent floods threaten the Hampton Roads region. In fact, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hampton Roads is the area most threatened by rising seas on the East Coast.
Meanwhile we have crackpots organizing mass meetings to "protect" our local citizens from "environmental extremists". The Tea Party has a lot of denier money to spend around here and lots of very gullible people to try to influence. It is an interesting juxtaposition when you think about it. But then, who says politics has to make sense?
The sand you bury your head in has to be pretty deep to miss these signs:
Flooding in the Norfolk area in late May of this year was just one incident confirming projections for recurrent floods in the area.
Roads closed, stranding commuters. Norfolk Naval Station - the world's largest naval base, and critical for military readiness - was flooded.
When the very infrastructure of our naval bases is threatened, we have no choice but to make a plan of action to curb the threat.
So we are getting a "plan of action":
With the support of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and Reps. Rob Wittman, Bobby Scott and Scott Rigell, some excellent work has already begun to address rising seas in the region now, and for the future.
One important example of this work is a pilot study being conducted by Old Dominion University and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to understand how the changing climate will affect our military infrastructure.
Information from this pilot will be used to create new resilience strategies.
We are encouraged that the region is garnering attention as an area of climate risk.
On Dec. 2, the National Security Council will convene a group of local leaders, nongovernmental and academic partners for a Preparedness and Resilience Exercise for Hampton Roads.
It sounds like the bandaid strategy at best. What to do when the seas flood. The sad part is that none of the Virginia politicians I know about are even close to being ready to put the deniers in their place and call for some drastic action to halt the increase of emissions that is occurring daily. Nor are they anywhere close to understanding what a delay of that kind means.
I'm really tired of politics as theater. Even when the threat is of this nature we see gesturing and showmanship rather than study followed by meaningful action.