General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMiami, the great world city, is drowning while the powers that be look away
It a devastating scenario. But what really surprises visitors and observers is the city's response, or to be more accurate, its almost total lack of reaction. The local population is steadily increasing; land prices continue to surge; and building is progressing at a generous pace. During my visit last month, signs of construction new shopping malls, cranes towering over new condominiums and scaffolding enclosing freshly built apartment blocks could be seen across the city, its backers apparently oblivious of scientists' warnings that the foundations of their buildings may be awash very soon.
Not that they are alone. Most of Florida's senior politicians in particular, Senator Marco Rubio, former governor Jeb Bush and current governor Rick Scott, all Republican climate-change deniers have refused to act or respond to warnings of people like Wanless or Harlem or to give media interviews to explain their stance, though Rubio, a Republican party star and a possible 2016 presidential contender, has made his views clear in speeches. "I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it. I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy," he said recently. Miami is in denial in every sense, it would seem. Or as Wanless puts it: "People are simply sticking their heads in the sand. It is mind-boggling."
Not surprisingly, Rubio's insistence that his state is no danger from climate change has brought him into conflict with local people. Philip Stoddard, the mayor of South Miami, has a particularly succinct view of the man and his stance. "Rubio is an idiot," says Stoddard. "He says he is not a scientist so he doesn't have a view about climate change and sea-level rise and so won't do anything about it. Yet Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, is holding field hearings where scientists can tell people what the data means. Unfortunately, not enough people follow his example. And all the time, the waters are rising."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/11/miami-drowning-climate-change-deniers-sea-levels-rising
djean111
(14,255 posts)Remember, getting elected and reelected is now the most important thing in politics.
I did read that Miami is sinking a lot of money into re-working the sewer and drainage systems in an area where high tide regularly washes up through the streets, but that is a stop-gap measure. Unless Miami is hiring Dutch engineers (or whoever) who can show them how to co-exist with the water.
I do not think any GOP politician is giving the rising water level any thought at all, except for how to profit from it.
I live near Tampa. A regular part of any home listing, now, is whether flood insurance is needed. I used to wish I could buy a little home in Gulfport, Fl. May be out of reach now, and may be that little home might be in a different country altogether.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)So even if they put up 10 foot high seawalls around Miami, the water just percolates up from underneath. Miami will eventually have to be abandoned. So will the Keys, and eventually much of Florida.
Same goes here along the Atlantic coast. Everything built on the sandy barrier islands will be gone in a century. They can probably wall in NYC, since it is built on rock.
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)pleinair
(171 posts)A tragedy in the making for Floridians
trumad
(41,692 posts)We've been living on borrowed time for some time.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)buy stock in the rubber raft company.