Elizabeth Rush writes that as sea levels rise and flooding becomes more commonplace in coastal communities, our rebuilding efforts should more often become relocation plans.
That two storms of Harvey and Irma’s caliber would make landfall in the United States during the same swampy fortnight seemed exceptional at first — and then, of course, it didn’t. That’s because surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, where many hurricanes are born, are between 0.5 degrees Celsius and 1 degree Celsius above average this year. Warmer seas, combined with higher atmospheric temperatures, feed storms, helping turn average hurricanes into spectacularly destructive events. Add accelerated sea level rise into the mix, and you get large swaths of North American coastline inundated in previously unimaginable amounts of water.
Many living in Louisiana, New York, on the edges of the Olympic Peninsula and all along the coast of Alaska have recently found themselves in the same difficult position as those recovering from Harvey and Irma, weighing the same limited choices. Irma killed about 30 people in three states, wrought extensive damage on Florida’s economy and, combined with Hurricane Harvey, racked up costs already estimated to surpass those of Hurricane Katrina. Retreat or rebuild? Some have followed the spoonbill’s example and headed for higher ground. But legal and regulatory conditions don’t make moving away from increasingly dangerous coastal areas easy. If we’re going to adapt to climate change without loss of life and unnecessary financial hardship in Harvey- and Irma-like storms, federal, state and local governments need to start financing and encouraging relocation.
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BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2009—Obama Administration Revamps Missile Defense: Leaner, Meaner, and More Realistic:
The arms control and defense wonk world has been turned on its head by today's big news regarding the Obama administration's re-assessment of the Bush administration's pet project in Europe: a missile defense shield, consisting of ground-based interceptors based in Poland, and a radar array based in the Czech Republic.
The news broke very early in the morning today, via an article in the Wall Street Journal:
The White House will shelve Bush administration plans to build a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, according to people familiar with the matter, a move likely to cheer Moscow and roil the security debate in Europe.
By mid-morning, the news had been spun by the traditional media and conservative pundits as:
OBAMA CANCELS MISSILE DEFENSE!
Now, I'm going to speak very slowly so that everyone can understand this:
Obama DID NOT "cancel missile defense." Hardly.
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