Boston may have been spared the worst this time, but will it be so lucky the next?
Do not count on it, say researchers who argue that the city and its densely developed shoreline are extremely vulnerable to the more frequent and intense storms associated with global warming.
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Whatever is done and whoever is in charge, make sure that you secure Brian McGrory's house first. And feed his dog. His column today is a compelling and tragic account of unimaginable suffering.
Yes, and his rooster hates him, and his wife is not too sympathetic either.
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In the not distant past there have been lots and lots of environmental 'experts' whining and moaning about badly over-development on the coasts of the United States. In some coastal areas, property use, takeover and ownership have become severe legal disputes between private owners and public authorities. Now, the Boston Glob finds an obscure bureaucrat hired by the City of Boston to head its environmental and energy agency; this guy chirps that he wants the city's shorelines maximally developed, along with hyper expensive 'green' technology. And the Glob finds somebody or other who assumes that a 5-foot tidal surge would be something of a max on which Boston could plan. Why 5 feet of extra water beyond the natural high tide in Boston while New York got a 10-foot surge? Strikes me there is a whole lot of hither, thither and might be or might not be theorizing involved in this presentation. A lot of it is aimed at the same sort of scaredom that television meteorologists used before Sandy hit. . . some of them were correct, as in the case of southern-facing New Engalnd. . . others were wrong as in the case of the Boston area.
Thank you, Beth Daley and Eric Moskowitz, for connecting the dots between violent storms like Hurricane Sandy and global warming.
Mitt Romney seems to think this is all a big joke. See: http://act.engagementlab.org/signup/climate_romney_joke/?akid=275.62795.aiZppA&rd=1&t=2.
President Obama takes it seriously. See: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696637/president-obama-climate-change.jhtml.
The contrast could not be more clear.
Remember, friends, you can all debate the reasons, but it will be what it will be.
a pic from a charlestown navy yard ranger of the height of the water during the storm:
https://twitter.com/RangerAshley/status/262968168111292417/photo/1/large
I don't know what all the fuss is. The Republicans have assured us that all we scientists are wrong, and that the lobbyists for the oil companies and Rush Limbaugh have it right -- there is no such thing as global warming -- it's all a huge hoax meant to destroy the American economy. We scientists just hate America, don't you know!
There's absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Just contineu as before -- all will be just fine.