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NC Planners May Be Barred From Using Speculative Sea Level Rise Predictions

Posted by timothy on from the individual-frames-can-imply-motion dept.

ideonexus writes "Republicans in North Carolina are floating a bill that would force planners to only consider historical data in predicting the sea-level rise (SLR) for the state as opposed to considering projections that take Global Warming into account. NC-20, the pro-development lobbying group representing twenty counties along the NC coast, is behind the effort and asserts that the one-meter prediction would prohibit development on too much land as opposed to SLR predictions of 3.9 to 15.6 inches." Scientific American has an acerbic take on the bill.

2 of 419 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Hard to insure by Genda · · Score: 5, Informative

    Clearly the folks scoffing not only didn't read the article, but are using poor information. When scientists originally predicted a 59cm rise in sea level by end of century, they were surprised and dismayed to find that the "Actual Rise" was significantly greater than expected and then were forced to revise the prediction to a meter. This is still a very conservative prediction. There is significant probability that the rise will be greater, perhaps significantly. This is particularly significant because when you add that meter to the substantial increase of serious storm surge from more frequent category 4 and 5 hurricanes (another gift from climate change), you have a significant coastal region which is going to be impacted in a number of really unhappy ways. To not use the information in hand to make intelligent plans based on best available information is tantamount to religious fanaticism, whether the religion is Gawd base or more Ideology centered. The smart money is on folks building floating homes on the N.C. Coast. Happy sailing!

  2. Re:Hard to insure by Genda · · Score: 4, Informative
    You sir are a wise man. Here in California, we used to have a 5 mile wide "No Build Corridor" near the San Andreas fault in San Bernadino. No problem, it was sparsely inhabited dessert. As more and more folks moved out to what they call the "Inland Empire", the size of that corridor kept shrinking, cuz the real estate folks were howling to the State Gubernment that the laws were taking the very bread out of their chillens mouths. California has a very powerful Real Estate lobby (which can tell by the fact that 98% of our state's estuaries have been turned into marinas, waste treatment plants, or landfill, all for and because of Real Estate agents.) Soon they were putting mobile homes within a 100 yards, because heck their mobile homes right, who cares if they move a little... their mobile. Today, you can travel out to San Bernadino and go to the eastern edge of town and if you look real close at the diagonal line running from top left to bottom right of the Google map, you can see the meeting of the Pacific and North American plates. You can also see the fault has been littered with housing developments. Because who should be denied the breathtaking adventure of seeing their home split down the middle and travel in 2 different directions at 60 mph!

    People are stupid, and greedy, and they have a real poor memory. If you let'em they will stick their head right in the lion's mouth to see where the lamb went. That's why we pass laws to protect us from ourselves. Sadly who will protect us from the greedy buggers who buy the people who are supposed to protect us. Sigh!