Screwed by climate change: 10 cities that will be hardest hit

[marmar]

from Grist:



Screwed by climate change: 10 cities that will be hardest hit
By Jim Meyer


Here at Grist, climate change is our bread and melting butter. But this month, we’re feeling especially hot and bothered. As part of our in-depth look at the warming planet, we’ve compiled a list of the U.S. cities that we think will be in the hottest water as the mercury rises — in some cases, up to their foreheads.

A quick note about New Orleans: It’s hard not to include a city that’s already lost so much, but the Big Easy’s new $14.5 billion, state-of-the-art levee system is finally up-and-running just eight short years after Katrina. Some warn that the new system, designed to stop a once-in-a-century storm — the kind that seem to be coming about every other Thursday these days – is already out of date. But it’s better than nothing, especially when compared to the rest of the country, so we’re giving New Orleanians credit as most-improved. That said, here we go!



Phoenix, Ariz.: The founders of Phoenix spotted a particularly dry stretch of desert and thought, “You know what this place could use? Golf courses.” Unfortunately, this town of 4.5 million has been getting hotter by almost a degree a decade since 1961; in 2011 Phoenix had 33 days over 110. In heat like that, air conditioning is a life-and-death issue, and that A/C runs on America’s electric grid. That’s scary enough, but the power on that grid comes from dams on the Colorado River — the same shrinking river that wets Phoenix’s enormous whistle. Then again, Phoenicians named their town after a bird that periodically bursts into flames, so they must have seen this coming.



Louisville, Ky.: The only major American city getting hotter faster than Phoenix is Louisville, where the temperature has risen a sweltering 1.67 degrees per decade since 1961. A big part of Louisville’s problem is the startling lack of trees. Trees shade a mere 10 percent of the urban center, just a quarter of what experts say the town needs. Imagining the Kentucky Derby when it gets too hot for horses is bad enough, but if global warming takes our bourbon, shit gets real. ........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/cities/screwed-by-climate-change-10-cities-that-will-be-hardest-hit/

[cali]

1. that's a silly, silly list

South Paris, Maine? C'mon. Clearly the author wants to be cute but man, that's just ridiculous. Well, at least South Paris Maine is a municipality, the entire state of Texas which is included in this list, is not a city, dude author.

f

[Bluenorthwest]

4. The author is a comic, it is supposed to be an off beat list, not a serious science type article.

The point about South Paris Maine is that a few towns have industry that is tied to weather other than tourist industry stuff like skiing. It is actually an interesting point, yes also off beat and probably would not be on an academic list on the same subject, but face it. If your town makes sleds for a living and there is no snow your town has no living.
It's a humor lace piece about very serious shit. I understand the puritan was is to scowl and furrow brow when indicating seriousness, but that is far from the only way to do so.

[Atman]

6. Not only that, I'm pretty that statue is located at Stowe, VT.

Nit picking, it's just an illustration. But still...

I do admit, I like the writing. It was pretty funny.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. The author is a comic, so both 'pretty funny' and 'silly, silly' are fitting compliments.

nt

[BeyondGeography]

2. Wow, Louisville, plant some trees already

Don't they have soil in that town?

[Populist_Prole]

13. I'm guessing it's urban sprawl; Really bad in the southeast/sunbelt

Time was, developers cleared just forested areas needed to put lots/businesses on. Now the model is clearcutting HUGE swaths of treed areas, building, and then maybe planting some BS decorative trees. You see literal fletts of dump trucks hauling away trees & soil to/from once wild areas. Areas that now look like a tactical neclear strike hit it.

[cap]

3. you know, these are red states for the most part

oh well. God's will be done.

[zappaman]

5. Big REC and KICK!

Thanks for posting this!

[Newest Reality]

7. Anthems!

Spirit: Nature's Way

Kinks: There's A Change In The Weather

[Warpy]

9. Silly article

They left out LA and Las Vegas, two places that are going to be SOL if the west continues to dry, and that's what they seem to be predicting.

[Auggie]

10. Yeah, silly. Just ten cities? The entire planet is in peril.

[Roland99]

11. It's not trees affecting the temps in Louisville

it's geography. It's not dissimilar to L.A. Louisville has long been warmer than areas just outside the county due to the way the land rises to the south and to the west. It allows a "finger" of warmer gulf air to sneak up into Louisville and the east end. That, and the geography has long caused the city to suffer higher pollution problems (smog and ozone) and that, in turn, will lead to higher temps in the area.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Washington State gets 72% of its power from Hydroelectric.

A prolonged drought would, well, pretty much totally wreck us.

[Populist_Prole]

14. In visits to Arizona I'm continually amazed at how they seem oblivious to their finite water supply

I mean, they're building and building and building as though they're tapping water from a reservior the size of Canada. What could possibly go wrong?

[IrishAyes]

15. Giving satire its just due,

Comedic observations can hit the mark more memorably than pure dry science fact.

If this had been a 'serious' scientific piece, he would've had to declare Norfolk VA where the Navy Ship Yard is already almost underwater. At least I remember it as being Norfolk - don't quote me.

No wonder I retired as far north and as high up (800' above sea level) as I could afford. Even so, science suggests that in a few years we'll be able to grow oranges here.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Also, New Orleans isn't worth discussing in this context.

NOLA's problem isn't that the sea is rising. New Orleans is SINKING relative to the ocean. Doesn't really matter if the ocean rises or not. Sea Level change is just a side discussion for them.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2006/03/28-02.html

If I lived there, I'd be getting out, ASAP. I expect that within my lifetime, parts of New Orleans will be a popular scuba attraction.