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Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

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Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#11

Post by thesmallestcat »

delinka wrote: post #4

"The state has a plan to implement more than 100 restoration and protection projects — like rebuilding marshes and barrier islands..." Sounds like a terrible plan to me. Treating symptoms instead of the disease won't solve the problem. Just because we humans are "determined" doesn't mean fighting nature like this will be successful. I'm sure the locals will feel better about their politicians for a few years and prob…

Can you explain why it's silly to rebuild barrier islands, which prevent beach erosion? Is it your view that people should experience the consequences of rising sea levels as catastrophically as possible?

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#12

Post by coldpie »

scottlegrand2 wrote: post #9
spodek wrote: post #3

I've been asking people to name the most effective leaders in the area of global warming. When I say my answer, they look surprised, but then agree: the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump. They are leading people not to change their behavior and this is the result. No one is leading in the direction of reducing consumption with nearly the effectiveness as them. Instead of leading ourselves, the overwhelming majority of A…

The members of the creative class who live in the major cities and take mass transit or bike or walk to work have the right idea. Bonus points for working at home or going full Mr. Money Mustache. Unfortunately that's not practical for most people. Also, we overinvest in our highways and cars because there seems to be almost no collective will to build a national transportation network beyond that. And I don't want t…

It'd be great if the conversation were about how we can solve these problems, but currently the conversation is about whether the scientific reality of climate change is actually a hoax invented by the Chinese. So long as these yahoos keep getting elected, we've got a long ways to go before we start talking about cutting beef out of our diet.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#13

Post by delinka »

thesmallestcat wrote: post #11
delinka wrote: post #4

"The state has a plan to implement more than 100 restoration and protection projects — like rebuilding marshes and barrier islands..." Sounds like a terrible plan to me. Treating symptoms instead of the disease won't solve the problem. Just because we humans are "determined" doesn't mean fighting nature like this will be successful. I'm sure the locals will feel better about their politicians for a few years and prob…

Can you explain why it's silly to rebuild barrier islands, which prevent beach erosion? Is it your view that people should experience the consequences of rising sea levels as catastrophically as possible?

If beach erosion were the problem, maintaining barrier islands makes sense. But when the ocean levels are rising and simply crawling up the beach, putting everything underwater?

Sure, we could probably engineer building up the coastline with higher land to maintain the current coastline, but at what expense? At what point do we just decide that the coastline is moving inland and we should just follow suit?

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#14

Post by PeterStuer »

spodek wrote: post #3

I've been asking people to name the most effective leaders in the area of global warming. When I say my answer, they look surprised, but then agree: the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump. They are leading people not to change their behavior and this is the result. No one is leading in the direction of reducing consumption with nearly the effectiveness as them. Instead of leading ourselves, the overwhelming majority of A…

Abstinence is the answer that can not exist in a neo-liberal society.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#15

Post by throwaway55523 »

criley2 wrote: post #8
delinka wrote: post #4

"The state has a plan to implement more than 100 restoration and protection projects — like rebuilding marshes and barrier islands..." Sounds like a terrible plan to me. Treating symptoms instead of the disease won't solve the problem. Just because we humans are "determined" doesn't mean fighting nature like this will be successful. I'm sure the locals will feel better about their politicians for a few years and prob…

Actually when you consider the global implications of climate and the local effects of shore, a local area using local money to protect local shore in the face of global inaction they are powerless to change makes perfect sense. It is actually your position which makes no sense. "Hey 4.6 million Louisianans, sure you're only 0.00063% of world population, but protecting yourself and your land from what the other 99.99…

You need to move the decimal a couple places on your perecentages.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#16

Post by ehnto »

averagewall wrote: post #7
spodek wrote: post #3

I've been asking people to name the most effective leaders in the area of global warming. When I say my answer, they look surprised, but then agree: the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump. They are leading people not to change their behavior and this is the result. No one is leading in the direction of reducing consumption with nearly the effectiveness as them. Instead of leading ourselves, the overwhelming majority of A…

What's wrong with losing coastline? There's no shortage of land in America or the world in general.

Entire cities will have to be moved as even a few meters of rise can flood an entire region.

It is not as if we just lose a bit of beach, if sea levels rise then everything at the new level that can be sought by water through rivers or otherwise will be under water. Not Atlantis style, but no longer habitable by cities as we currently build them.

What's more, the coastline going missing is but one symptom. Weather patterns are set to get more erratic and extreme which will cause significant damage and loss of life continuously for the forseeable future.

As we are being reactive rather than proactive in this matter, it will likely take significant disasters before anyone begins to make the changes even once weather begins to worsen and cities begin to sink.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#17

Post by nickik »

PeterStuer wrote: post #14
spodek wrote: post #3

I've been asking people to name the most effective leaders in the area of global warming. When I say my answer, they look surprised, but then agree: the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump. They are leading people not to change their behavior and this is the result. No one is leading in the direction of reducing consumption with nearly the effectiveness as them. Instead of leading ourselves, the overwhelming majority of A…

Abstinence is the answer that can not exist in a neo-liberal society.

And not in any other society that has other options.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#18

Post by maxerickson »

spodek wrote: post #3

I've been asking people to name the most effective leaders in the area of global warming. When I say my answer, they look surprised, but then agree: the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump. They are leading people not to change their behavior and this is the result. No one is leading in the direction of reducing consumption with nearly the effectiveness as them. Instead of leading ourselves, the overwhelming majority of A…

I wonder if aggressive personal austerity could have even come close to the emissions reductions attributable to fracking.

And it's a finger in Putin's eye too!

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#19

Post by thesmallestcat »

delinka wrote: post #13
thesmallestcat wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain why it's silly to rebuild barrier islands, which prevent beach erosion? Is it your view that people should experience the consequences of rising sea levels as catastrophically as possible?

If beach erosion were the problem, maintaining barrier islands makes sense. But when the ocean levels are rising and simply crawling up the beach, putting everything underwater? Sure, we could probably engineer building up the coastline with higher land to maintain the current coastline, but at what expense? At what point do we just decide that the coastline is moving inland and we should just follow suit?

Erosion is the difference between being able to live in a home on stilts, and having the land beneath collapse into the ocean. There is land below sea level and it experiences erosion too. Rising sea levels accelerate erosion, which clearly doesn't make it less of an issue.

Re: Louisiana’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Disappearing Coastline

#20

Post by ryanmarsh »

erentz wrote: post #2

I have real issues with states like this where it's leaders deny climate change and prevent action on it, yet cry when issues like this occur. Similar when the BP oil spill occurred and they cried about the affect on their coast and fishing industries. They seemingly are fine with destroying their environment so long as it occurs over 50 years rather than 5 months.

You think the governor knew the name of the deep water horizon before it caught fire? It was 41 miles off the coast.
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