ABC News has a new report that displays architectural visualizations of major American cities before and after a 3 to 16 foot rise in sea levels. Here’s Seattle as it currently exists:
And here’s Seattle after a 3 meter rise in sea level:
Downtown Seattle itself is fortunate to be built mostly uphill, but we lose our entire waterfront, including the port and surrounding industrial areas that are so important to our economy. (I say if we build the Sonics a new arena, we put it somewhere in there.)
We can argue all we want about whether climate change is primarily caused by human activity (although the overwhelming scientific consensus is that is,) but even the most vehement, ideologically driven deniers are beginning to admit that our climate is warming. If indeed the climate continues to warm (as opposed to say, shutting off the oceans’ thermohaline circulation, suddenly plunging us into another ice age,) sea levels will rise, and our children and grandchildren will have to deal with consequences.
You’d just think, maybe, we all might want to start planning for this possible future, rather than sticking our heads in the sand, or accusing “alarmists” like me of being dirty commies.
FYI, King County has performed its own analysis of the impact of a sea level rise on the region, which I reported on way back in May of 2006. Take a look at the image showing the Duwamish flooding all the way to Southcenter, and explain to me why the best and most prudent approach to this threat is to simply ignore it.
Seems like an improvement to me, a smaller garbage pit of losers.
Whoa. Of course, by the time Seattle agrees on a plan to handle this crisis, the water will have already receded and the warming reversed because civilization will have collapsed and cock roaches will be ruling the earth.
David, speaking of lack of action, when are you going to fulfill the commitment you made on August 22, 2007? See the commitment quoted below:
“I’ll be posting HA’s official primary endorsements and predictions, sometime later this afternoon. (I think you’ll find my predictions pretty dead-on.)”
a smaller garbage pit of losers.
Losers? You mean like that same crowd who shilled for I-912 and lost their collective asses? The same crowd who dressed in orange and followed the pied piper of (un)SP off a short pier in Greenlake?
This is why we absolutely need to stop building new highways. Are you listening RTID?
@3
Have you thought that this fixation of yours might require professional help? Or can you only address one topic? Are you a real nut or just a spammer?
@3, @6: Yeah, I think you’ll find Goldy’s predictions as of today right here:
http://www.metrokc.gov/electio.....esults.asp
And I’d like to add that I completely agree with these predictions.
YellowPup @7,
Yeah, that was pretty much going to be the joke. But I got distracted by real posts, and then it just got old. (Not as old as Luigi, but old.)
@7&8
As I reread the quote, I see that it could be interpreted as a joke. But the joke is so lame that I don’t feel like a total idiot.
Better build the next light rail a little taller, we don’t want any hydroplaning passenger cars.
And Damn, we could have had a new scuba diving tunnel in downtwn Seattle if people hadn’t killed Mayor Nickols viaduct replacement tunnel.
If people are fat and getting some sex – wars are around the globe – there is no crises that can interrupt the sense of well being.
In Seattle this is no crises that demands action – talk and talk and talk – fat and happy – what me worry?
Enter the need to take on a long range and expensive attack – no will, no money, won’t happen.
Get a house on a hill, the Bible was right on this one.
(NOTE RECENT REPORTS FROM GREENLAND, SHOULD CONVINCE THE MOST BRAIN DEAD – THE GIANT GLACIERS HAVE NOW CREATED A BED OF WATER UNDER THEMSELVES AND ARE SLIDING ARE RECORD SPEED INTO THE ARCTIC OCEANS – ICE CHUNKS THE SIZE OF ENTIRE SKYSCRAPERS BRAKING OFF – ALONE, ALONE, THESE GLACIERS MELTING CAN RAISE THE OCEANS OF THE WORLD MANY METERES, I THINK THE THEORY IS 6 – THESE ALONE, GREENLAND’S MELTING GLACIERS, MOVING AT AMAZING SPEEDS INTO THE OCEANS ON SLEDS OF WATER, UNSTUCK AS IT WERE FROM THE FROZEN STRATA BELOW. )
dUE TO MELTING ICE – A SEA ROUTE IS POSSIBLE ACCROSS THE NORTH OF CANADA – THE FABLED NORTH WEST PASSAGE WILL RENDER THE PANAMA CANAL NOT NEEDED – THE CANAL IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND MIKES FOR A LONGER ROUTE –
wELCOM TO THE ICE MELTING WORLD
That’s it…I’m buying that boat slip moorage on Southcenter Parkway.
#13 – YES, GOOD INVESTMENT FOR THE KIDS, AND SWIMMING LESSONS AND SCUBA GEAR.
eARTHLINGS, GET READY TO GROW GILLS.
1 Chuck, you’ve obviously never been to Spokane.
What about our fancy cranes :(
Gee, check out the real estate prices for all that supposedly doomed property? The market says you and all your friends are swallowing stupid pills, Goldy.
This is why we need to stop RTID. We need to take a stand on global warming. We can’t have it both ways, saying that global warming is serious and important, but we need to build more roads because, well, we really love trains. The overwhelming evidence is that RTID makes global warming worse. Vote down RTID, and demand transportation investments that reduce global warming, not increase it.
Hey Goldie, given the post you just made, I’m wondering… do you have a position on the big highway thing (RTID)?
Levees, people, levees are the answer
Any time I read something like this, I can’t help but wonder why people are still trying to expand our highway network.
Some comments (5, 18, 19) have referenced RTID. While the light rail is attractive, graphics like these always make me wonder why they thought it was a good idea to add in all the new roads. I hate seeing otherwise useful spending packages destroyed like that.
17:
Let’s talk in 10 years and again in 20. Then we will see who is overdosing on stupid pills.
This problem is not totally evident today, but check back. The polar ice caps are melting and the ocean is getting fuller. That water has to go somewhere. Might want to ask the folks in New Orleans about planing for the future and building things properly. Oh…..wait……I forgot, that was all Bill Clinton’s fault and those poor black people should have just lived on higher ground. Maybe they should have moved to the waterfront area of Seattle.
You could not be any more ignorant. I suggest laying off the crack pipe and cheap beer.
My Left Foot says:
17:
Let’s talk in 10 years and again in 20. Then we will see who is overdosing on stupid pills.
That’s an eternatity. If SS is not in trouble than why worry about Global cooling…. oh wait that was the 70’s mantra… global warming?
23:
E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y you moe-ron.
I promise you that 20 years is not an eternity. It does not even register on the timing scale of this rock we call earth.
By the way, SS has nothing to with this issue. Convolution of the issue is a BushCo. trick. Nice try.
(use “The Google” for the big words)
Rufus @ 23
You’re lying again, Ruf ‘ol buddy. Either that our you are incredibly gullible.
“Global cooling” (a term that was not even used in the 1970) was NEVER a widely supported mainstream scientific theory. It was largely a pop-concept discussed in the popular press. There were almost no scientific publications that offered evidence of an anthropogenic long-term cooling trend.
The situation is entirely reversed with global warming. Numerous independent lines of investigation strongly support the notion that the increase in CO2 composition of the atmosphere changes the heat gradient of the atmosphere (i.e. “trapping” more heat near the surface, with a concomitant cooling at higher altitudes). The evidence is so strong that, among scientists who are capable of properly evaluating the evidence and the research, the idea of anthropogenic global warming is nearly a consensus.
The consensus exists whether or not scientific illiterates like you find the concept ideologically offensive.
@20, worked great in New Orleans, let’s count on it!
Half of Seattle gone, I agree that would be a good thing…I’ll go outside and have a large stoggie on that one.
As much as these are cool graphics, not until we see measurable, visible ocean rise, will people start to care.
@28…and then it will be too late.
Probably, but until people can see noticeable changes, they won’t act.