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solartim27

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #200 on: September 29, 2016, 12:05:01 AM »
Another problem for Florida tourism.  The virus has popped up sporadically since 2009.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article104606196.html
Quote
Miami-Dade has its first 2016 case of locally acquired dengue fever.

Health officials announced Tuesday night someone in the county contracted dengue fever. That person was treated and is expected to recover fully.

The health department is checking if people close to the infected individual also have the virus. Although this is Miami-Dade’s first case of 2016, it’s Florida’s second.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article104606196.html#storylink=cpy
FNORD

budmantis

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #201 on: September 29, 2016, 07:35:00 AM »
And here I thought all I had to worry about was the Zika virus!

oren

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #202 on: October 12, 2016, 01:14:38 AM »
Just ran into this local article from six months ago, about the problems cropping up on the shore of the Dead Sea. It seems the area is on its way to becoming unlivable. The article is long, but it's interesting and sad to read about the mindset of those living there, imagining that if they only build more ambitious tourism projects, everything will come back.

"The Dead Sea: A dramatic look at Israel's endangered natural wonder"

http://www.haaretz.com/st/c/prod/global/deadsea/eng/5/

Quote
Fields of sinkholes instead of beaches, roads swept away by floods, large industrial ponds instead of a sea and one overarching question: What can be done so that things don’t get even worse in the next 20 years?
Quote
On the other side of the road is an overnight parking lot that was the first location to be closed when the sinkholes appeared, 18 years ago. The place now looks like a set for a war movie, full of old props: large craters, shattered buildings that collapsed into the sinkholes, dead trees, pipes and cables hanging in midair. Nearby is a gas station that was closed in 2014 and a bit to the north is the large bridge spanning the Arugot Stream. It was built at great expense using advanced technology in an attempt to contend with the sinkholes, but only six years passed before it, too, was closed.
...
The whole story is encapsulated in a large Excel file at the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI), a file which is constantly being updated. Its key data show that in 1976, the Dead Sea lay -398 meters below sea level, whereas in December 2015 it had reached almost -430 meters. And the rate of change is rapidly accelerating – in the first two decades since 1976, the water level dropped by 6 meters each decade, in the third decade it fell by 9 meters and in the last decade it plummeted by 11 meters.
...
The declining water level that creates the sinkholes is causing another geological phenomenon – the deepening of the area’s stream beds – which is less talked about but no less critical. As sea levels drop and the shoreline recedes, the streams’ drainage area lengthens. This intensifies the force of the water flowing down from the hills to the sea, deepening and widening the stream beds with each successive flood. Route 90, which serves as somewhat of a dam between the mountains and the sea, is hit by powerful floods every winter. The bridges spanning these streams cannot withstand the new circumstances. For local residents, this means that every winter will bring more frequent and longer-lasting closures of the road

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #203 on: October 13, 2016, 01:34:25 AM »
Monmouth County's coastal evacuation map is first of its kind in New Jersey
Quote
Just before the fourth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, Monmouth County has instituted a tiered coastal evacuation plan designed to simplify messaging during a storm surge threat.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/97948-monmouth-countys-coastal-evacuation-zone-map-is-first-of-its-kind-in-nj
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Jester Fish

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #204 on: October 17, 2016, 08:59:16 PM »
And so what began decades ago is now making the news more frequently.....as noted in the article, the potential contamination catastrophes are immense when the Earth melts out from under your factory, tailings pond, slag pile, and nuke plant.....not to mention your house!

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/14/thawing-permafrost-destroying-arctic-cities-norilsk-russia

Hefaistos

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #205 on: October 24, 2016, 04:27:47 PM »

30,000 people live on and around Calcutta’s landfill site at Dhapa.

"Inextinguishable fires burn all day and night, which pollute the air. They are so ubiquitous that the workers no longer complain about the fumes, and municipal authorities don’t bother to put them out.

Sovan Chatterjee, the mayor of Kolkata, says: “Of course there are fires. There are so many waste materials there; they are going to be bad for the environment.”

... “The fires come on their own, from the garbage itself because of biogas,” he says, referring to gasses produced as a result of fermentation of organic waste. “They burn all day and all night, every day of the year.”
...
At Dhapa thousands of plots of land are farmed for vegetables, the swamps have become fish farms and in the huts, women fry puchkas, a popular local street food. Though no one has ever measured how much of Kolkata’s food comes from the landfill site, it is an open secret that the city’s markets are stocked with produce from Dhapa."

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/24/difficult-breathe-inside-kolkata-india-rubbish-dump-permanently-fire

pikaia

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #206 on: October 25, 2016, 11:55:37 AM »
"In Central Asia, a crisis is brewing over water and electricity. The Soviet-era system in which the five countries of the region shared their resources has broken down, leaving some facing water shortages and others chronic power cuts. Instances of small-scale unrest have already occurred, but some warn this could be just the beginning."

No obvious connection to climate change, but...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37755985

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #207 on: October 26, 2016, 01:54:19 PM »
Why we should not demonize residents who refuse to evacuate during hurricanes
Quote
The reasons for staying home are complex. They are frequently not due to ignorance or complacency, but a result of the enormous disruption and even hardship that vacating one’s home presents. In other cases, they reflect a failure of meteorologists to characterize the range of dangerous hazards a hurricane poses, in addition to solely wind, which residents may not adequately appreciate.

It would serve meteorologists and other storm communicators well to try to see the situation through the public’s eyes, recognizing that the public cannot be lumped into one, single group. Residents of coastal communities impacted by Hurricane Matthew are composed of different age, ethnic and income groups. Each has its own, unique story; and each group makes evacuation decisions challenging for different reasons.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/10/25/why-we-should-not-demonize-residents-who-refuse-to-evacuate-during-hurricanes/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #208 on: October 26, 2016, 04:48:53 PM »
Sandy's Lessons Lost: Jersey Shore Rebuilds in Sea's Inevitable Path
Quote
As people in towns like Toms River rushed to rebuild, they did not retreat from the coast. Instead, at the waterfront, so much—houses, businesses and sand dunes—is coming back bigger, stronger and taller than ever before.
...
 Sandy's storm surge broke through the barrier island in the town of Manatoloking, next to Toms River, allowing the bay to rise 4 feet in an hour. But FEMA did not include such a scenario in its model.
...
...even without storm surges there will be daily tidal inundation on Jersey Shore waterfront properties within decades.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25102016/hurricane-sandy-new-jersey-shore-rebuild-climate-change-rising-sea-chris-christie
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solartim27

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #209 on: October 26, 2016, 05:04:46 PM »
Why we should not demonize residents who refuse to evacuate during hurricanes
Then you need to consider where they evacuate to, there were several examples of evacuees getting caught in inland flooding.  I also recall some horrible road acidents during past evacuations.
FNORD

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #210 on: November 01, 2016, 08:52:58 PM »
Climate Change Is Already Forcing Americans to Move
Quote
As global warming causes more extreme weather and sea-level rise, coastal communities around the U.S. are starting to think about whether, and how, to help people move away from the water. But one group of Americans is already being displaced by climate change -- not through innovative urban and land-use planning, but official indifference.

Storms and flooding are damaging or destroying a growing share of the nation's 1.1 million public housing units. Those homes are getting replaced slowly or not at all, forcing the people who lived in them to leave their neighborhoods and often their cities. 
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-31/climate-change-is-already-forcing-americans-to-move
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #211 on: November 04, 2016, 12:17:45 AM »
Episode 2 in Season 2 of “Years of Living Dangerously” examines how Miami, Florida is (or is not) dealing with sea level rise, and the changing threat of Atlantic hurricanes.
    TV series on the National Geographic Channel.

http://yearsoflivingdangerously.com/
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sidd

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #212 on: November 05, 2016, 04:34:56 AM »
Filth in the water.

http://www.ewg.org/research/exposing-fields-filth-hurricane-matthew

"After Hurricane Matthew, which lasted from Oct. 10 to 17, Waterkeeper Alliance coordinated 20 aerial surveys to assess flooding impacts on swine and poultry CAFOs in eight North Carolina counties. Pilots flew in and around floodplains along the Neuse River, Black River, Cape Fear River, and various smaller creeks and swamps. Photos taken during the surveys documented the inundation of 10 swine operations (39 barns), 26 poultry facilities (102 barns) and 14 waste pits."

Sickening.

sidd

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #213 on: November 07, 2016, 08:10:15 PM »
City of Montreal pours $7.3M into saving skating rinks from climate change
Quote
The City of Montreal is launching a new program to save outdoor ice skating rinks from climate change.

According to documents from the city, it's getting harder and harder for Montrealers to strap on their skates and get ice time at their local outdoor rink because mild winters make maintenance a challenge.

That's why the city is putting $7.3 million into a program to help improve the quality of ice at municipal rinks and ensure they're open for longer periods of time.

The money will be spent over a period of three years and includes the possibility of installing refrigerated and covered rinks in "strategic" areas around the city, according to the city's three-year investment plan released last week.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/skating-rink-montreal-climate-change-1.3839058
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Jester Fish

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #214 on: November 07, 2016, 08:50:39 PM »
Hopefully, the refrigeration is powered by hydro and not a carbon source as that would just be too ironic...  :o :o

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #215 on: November 19, 2016, 05:29:52 PM »
 It's all about the tides.

The Supermoon and Global Warming: A Taste of Things to Come
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/11/17/this_week_s_supermoon_did_have_one_effect_flooding.html
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Hefaistos

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #216 on: November 21, 2016, 11:40:57 AM »
"Jakarta at 30 million: my city is choking and sinking.
Flooding, similarly, has become more frequent: from roughly every five years, to every rainy season, and now to almost every time it rains for more than three hours.

What is not visible is even worse: the city is sinking. Land subsidence is happening at a rate of 3cm per year in some parts of the city, 20cm in others. Not only is this causing more flooding, but it has the potential to damage the city’s drainage, piping and sewerage systems. The sea level in Jakarta Bay is rising 6mm every year.

Because only 50% of households have piped water – the lowest in Indonesia – residents rely on raw water supply, draining the natural aquifer beneath the city and causing the entire urban area to sink. Ironically, run-off is increasing, as deforestation upstream from the city and concretisation within are causing water to be wasted in alarming amounts."

Jakarta and other megacities in Indonesia facing inundation in coming years.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/nov/21/jakarta-indonesia-30-million-sinking-future

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #217 on: December 06, 2016, 02:16:08 AM »
The Areas America Could Abandon First
Quote
So far this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent $1.1 billion on what are called Individual Assistance payments, which help households recover from natural disasters. There are no limits on the number of times a household can apply, so the program isn't just a safety net; for some people, it's effectively a subsidy to live in areas that are especially vulnerable to hurricanes, floods and storm surges.

That hasn't gone unnoticed in Washington. In 1999, a Nebraska congressman introduced a bill preventing some properties with multiple claims from getting help -- not just disaster relief, but also subsidized flood insurance. Two years later, the George W. Bush administration's first budget proposed denying aid to the "worst offending repetitive loss properties." Under President Barack Obama, FEMA proposed reducing disaster aid for public buildings damaged more than once in the previous decade if local governments hadn't done anything to protect them.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-11-29/the-areas-america-could-abandon-first


See also the discussion in the thread under this tweet:
Matt Lanza:  Articles like this exemplify problems people have with media in 2016; "The Areas America Could Abandon First:"
https://twitter.com/mattlanza/status/805847599320354818
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Shared Humanity

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #218 on: December 06, 2016, 01:42:20 PM »
I would just like to comment that much of the U.S. has become less livable and the forecast is for continued deterioration in living conditions for the next 4 years.

I only hope that Trump only screws up my country and leaves the rest of you pretty much alone.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #219 on: December 09, 2016, 12:19:32 AM »
Climate change could render Sudan 'uninhabitable'
Quote
Sudan's ecosystems and natural resources are deteriorating.

Temperatures are rising, water supplies are scarce, soil fertility is low and severe droughts are common. After years of desertification, its rich biodiversity is under threat and drought has hindered the fight against hunger.

This burden is affecting not only the country's food security and sustainable development, but also the homes of many Sudanese families.

Dust storms -- known locally as "Haboob" have also increased in this region. Moving like a gigantic thick wall, it carries sand and dust -- burying homes, increasing evaporation to a region that's already struggling to preserve water supplies, as well as eroding valuable fertile soil.

Experts say that without quick intervention, parts of the African country -- already one of the most vulnerable in the world -- could become uninhabitable as a result of climate change.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/07/africa/sudan-climate-change/index.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #220 on: December 09, 2016, 02:58:36 AM »
This is part of a series on Houston's flood risk.

Boomtown, Flood Town
"Climate change will bring more frequent and fierce rainstorms to cities like Houston. But unchecked development remains a priority in the famously un-zoned city, creating short-term economic gains for some while increasing flood risks for everyone."
https://projects.propublica.org/houston-cypress/
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ghoti

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #221 on: December 09, 2016, 03:33:59 AM »
Another great video showing vast amounts of sunny weather tide related flooding in Miami. Yale Climate Connections video. AND they are still building new homes where the flooding on the streets is up to the axles of the cars.



Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #222 on: December 11, 2016, 06:17:35 PM »
“Glacial collapse is unprecedented in western Tibet, which for decades has resisted the effects of climate change while glaciers in southern and eastern Tibet have melted at an accelerating rate.”

Climate Change Likely Caused Deadly 2016 Avalanche In Tibet
http://www.eurasiareview.com/09122016-climate-change-likely-caused-deadly-2016-avalanche-in-tibet/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #223 on: December 29, 2016, 01:00:02 AM »
Major flooding in UK now likely every year, warns lead climate adviser
A year after severe floods in wake of Storm Desmond, John Krebs says ministers still have no coherent long-term plan to deal with it
Quote
Lord Krebs said it was important for both government and households to learn from the run of floods that have affected many parts of the country in recent years. “Almost every year there has been some more or less major flooding event and that is a key message,” he said. “We have to now get it embedded that this is something that will happen somewhere most years.”

Increased flooding is the biggest impact of climate change for the UK, but the CCC has also warned that the nation is poorly prepared for deadly annual heatwaves, water shortages and difficulties in producing food. However, Krebs, who is stepping down from his CCC role after eight years in January, said: “There is still hope this country will make the progress it needs to make.”
...

Krebs also said ministers would regret cutting flood protection measures for new homes. New laws passed earlier in 2016 aim to drive the building of 1m new homes but Krebs, an independent member of the House of Lords, said he was disappointed ministers had rejected proposals to cut the risk of the homes flooding and make them cheap to heat.

“The imperative to build more homes was overriding anything that might get in the way and I think the housebuilders got at the Department for Communities and Local Government to say all of this is going to be costly and difficult,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/26/major-flooding-in-uk-now-likely-every-year-warns-lead-climate-adviser-storm-desmond
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pikaia

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #224 on: December 29, 2016, 05:52:47 PM »
"A major new academic study has warned of the risk to buildings in urban areas across Russia's permafrost zone caused by climate change. The Russian-US analysis says a worst-case scenario could lead to a 75-95% 'reduction in bearing capacity throughout the permafrost region by 2050'."

http:///science/casestudy/features/f0280-warning-of-collapse-of-buildings-in-siberias-permafrost-cities-in-next-35-years/

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #225 on: December 29, 2016, 09:54:59 PM »
U.S.: new NOAA tool lets you see how global warming will affect your own ZIP code.
Click on the map in the linked page below to go to the tool-page.

Explore Warming Where You Live
http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2016/12/explore-warming-where-you-live/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #226 on: January 01, 2017, 06:03:42 PM »
Australia:  Coastal storms, extreme heat and flooding in 2016.

"No one ever thought the storm would come from the north," says Warren Hughes, a resident of Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast. "I was petrified."

East coast low and record heat: It's 2016, a year of weather extremes for Sydney
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/east-coast-low-and-record-heat-its-2016-a-year-of-weather-extremes-for-sydney-20161228-gtivqp.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #227 on: January 08, 2017, 05:08:06 AM »
Millions in China learn to live with smog 'airpocalypse'
Quote
...Winter is typically the most polluted season in China because the country burns more coal to power heaters. Manufacturers also often increase production ahead of the Chinese New Year, this year it will be on Jan. 28, also increasing pollution levels. Cold air inversions during the winter months can also trap smog lower to the surface.
...
In a nod to the growing concerns of parents in the region and the outrage starting to spill into Chinese society, the Beijing city government announced Jan. 6 in local media that a new initiative was being started to fund the installation of air purifiers in kindergartens, primary and middle schools in the capital. The move will likely mollify families, many of whom have already invested thousands of dollars in their own home air purifying systems and masks to combat pollution at home. ...
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/07/millions-in-china-learn-to-live-with-smog-airpocalypse.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #228 on: January 14, 2017, 09:19:51 PM »
New protection from flooding for the New York City subway.

Jason Rabinowitz:  The new @NYCTSubway flood gates at South Ferry look a bit more substantial than the plywood they put up during Sandy.
https://twitter.com/airlineflyer/status/820341054436179971
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Archimid

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #229 on: January 16, 2017, 01:46:54 PM »
New XKCD: 4.5 Degrees

http://m.xkcd.com/1379/

I am an energy reservoir seemingly intent on lowering entropy for self preservation.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #230 on: January 16, 2017, 04:17:06 PM »
From the China thread: 

Quote
Beijing's smog: A tale of two cities
Beijing (CNN)The first thing Jiang Wang does when she wakes up in the morning is check on her daughter to make sure she's breathing clean air.
Next, it's time to start making breakfast. She's already made sure all the groceries come from an organic farm.
She'll wash her produce with tap water filtered through a separate treatment system under her sink.
But that water isn't for drinking -- there's imported bottled water for that.
This is how Wang typically starts her day, trying to minimize the effects of the toxic environment in Beijing.
"From the moment you open your eyes till the moment, you rest in the evening," she says, "you have to pay really (close) attention, to the air, to the water, to the food you eat."
...
With their newfound wealth, China's upper and middles classes have been able to travel abroad and see more of the world -- and in turn learn about the dangers of pollution and how to avoid it.

But on the street during a red alert it is still commonplace to see ordinary people wearing a scarf over their mouth and nose, rather than a protective mask.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/15/health/china-beijing-smog-tale-of-two-cities/index.html
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Shared Humanity

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #231 on: January 16, 2017, 04:57:51 PM »
New protection from flooding for the New York City subway.

Jason Rabinowitz:  The new @NYCTSubway flood gates at South Ferry look a bit more substantial than the plywood they put up during Sandy.
https://twitter.com/airlineflyer/status/820341054436179971


I read a detailed Army Corps report a couple of years ago that concluded the New York subway system would be rendered inoperable with an additional 1 meter sea level rise due to frequent flooding during storms. The cost of repeated repairs would become prohibitive. These steel doors lend credence to that report. Fixed barriers of all types (sea walls, sewer caps etc. will be the last futile attempt to forestall the inevitable, the retreat from the shores by humanity across the planet.

The more frightening conclusion was the vulnerability of waste removal systems, our sewers. These systems fail completely with flooding. Miami Beach already has sewers back up during high tides. The smell of human feces is pervasive at these times. This is an urban health risk that will render cities unlivable due to diseases.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #232 on: February 08, 2017, 01:08:19 AM »
Flooding is the New Normal in Miami In Miami, sea-level rise is not a problem for future generations. It’s a present-day reality.
Quote
Navarrete’s garage now floods about once every other month. She often has to wear rainboots just to get to her car.

Navarrete: “And sometimes the water would be higher than that. So I couldn’t wear my boots because otherwise I would get the water inside the boots. So then we have to go barefoot, which is disgusting.”

And when the moon, earth, and sun align, tides are even higher than usual. They’re called king tides, and last for about a week. During king tides, Navarrete’s garage floods twice a day.
http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2017/02/flooding-is-the-new-normal-in-miami/
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DrTskoul

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #233 on: February 08, 2017, 01:16:25 AM »

nyx

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #234 on: February 08, 2017, 08:24:26 AM »
New XKCD: 4.5 Degrees

http://m.xkcd.com/1379/

"200 meter sea level rise" seems overly pessimistic for the Cretaceous hothouse scenario. I was under the impression that even if all of the world's ice melted the sea would rise by only 80 metres? (Okay, 80 meters is a lot, but it's not the same as 200 meters).
Also, I highly doubt that palm trees would grow at the South Pole in the event of the global temperature rising by 8 Celsius.

Unless that "Cretaceous hothouse" label is referring to what actually happened in the Cretaceous rather than what is likely to happen if the same temperature rise happened in the future. In which case it's not especially relevant to a discussion about the likely effects of global warming.

Having said all that, the general message of this comic - that global warming could have some pretty bad impacts - is true.

And you can't expect a small comic like that to go into detail about everything that affects global climate...! :)

Neven

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #235 on: February 08, 2017, 09:49:57 PM »
Welcome, nyx. Your profile is released now.
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wehappyfew

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #236 on: February 08, 2017, 10:16:10 PM »
Sea Level in the Cretaceous:

Temperature and ice volume are not the only factors controlling sea level.

During the Cretaceous, more vigorous subduction and creation of ocean crust is thought to have raised the average level of the seafloor. Younger seafloor is warmer, less dense, and so floats higher on the mantle.

Therefore the volume of the ocean basins was physically smaller, forcing water up onto the continents.

It's true that climate change - man-made or otherwise - will not duplicate the Cretaceous high sea levels... the level of plate tectonic activity is different now and unlikely to change rapidly.

...

Palm trees at the poles:

Polar amplification and different atmospheric circulation patterns kept the poles much warmer relative to the tropics. "Equable Climate" is the search term to look into.

"If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken" - Carl Sagan

solartim27

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #237 on: February 09, 2017, 06:08:09 PM »
This doesn't have much to do with ice, but there have been rumblings in past messages that a pole reversal could result in more tectonic activity and glacier collapse.  I remember seeing a Nova episode showing how radiation will be a big problem until the field stabilizes.
http://earthsky.org/earth/magnetic-pole-reversal-ahead

Seeing this article right after the above I relized the effects they are studying took place at the same time as the last pole flip.  They need to talk to each other.
http://www.sciencealert.com/tree-rings-suggest-an-unexpected-magnetic-solar-event-happened-7-000-years-ago
FNORD

folke_kelm

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #238 on: February 10, 2017, 04:13:48 PM »
Solartim27
Offtopic reply. Please read the article you link to carefully. There has not been a pole shift 7000 years ago. Your link 1 states this clearly and refers to a local effect in south Africa 7000 years ago, but not a global pole shift which occurs every 140000 to 450000 years, sometimes longer like just now. the last pole shift has been nearly 800000 years ago.
There is no geological evidence at all that a pole shift is linked to enhanced seismic or volcanic activity nor is there any evidence for a link between solar activity and reversal of the magnetic field of the earth.

Gray-Wolf

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #239 on: February 10, 2017, 06:01:24 PM »
This doesn't have much to do with ice, but there have been rumblings in past messages that a pole reversal could result in more tectonic activity and glacier collapse.  I remember seeing a Nova episode showing how radiation will be a big problem until the field stabilizes.
http://earthsky.org/earth/magnetic-pole-reversal-ahead

Seeing this article right after the above I relized the effects they are studying took place at the same time as the last pole flip.  They need to talk to each other.
http://www.sciencealert.com/tree-rings-suggest-an-unexpected-magnetic-solar-event-happened-7-000-years-ago

O/T but a while back i did ponder the whole magnetic reversal thing as we appear to go through periods where reversals ,according to ur stripey sea floors, missed out on a reversal ( or more) The stripes are in the erupted magma from ocean spreading centres and it occurred to me if the 'reversal' did not stick then we would not see a stripe recording a reversed period. If the Earths own magnetic field weakens then maybe a strong shunt from a CMR would be enough to flip it over? Should the sun be active then a second hit, down the line, might right the field before a recognisable stripe could be laid down in the magma?

Far from being benign periods these long periods without reversals might be seeing multiple events take place but none for long enough to lay down a recognisable stripe?

With the Earths magnetic field apparently weakening maybe we would be prey to rogue 'Grand solar Minimum' super CME's might be enough to flip it ?

Obviously any Grand Solar Minimum super flares could just induce currents here on the surface frying our transformers whilst cooking the Sat's above.........
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #240 on: March 01, 2017, 08:37:25 PM »
The most climate change action I've seen documented in South Florida to date.

South Florida continues prep for sea level rise
Quote
South Florida is taking more steps to protect against climate change and the rising seas that already are spilling over into neighborhoods.

This month, Broward County ordered that new flood maps be drawn using predictions of higher waters, the latest in a series of steps taken from Palm Beach County to the Keys.

Fort Lauderdale raised the required height of sea walls and the elevation of home sites; Delray Beach added valves to keep salt water out of the city drainage system; Broward County put a financing program in place for homeowners who want to tap solar energy.

That doesn’t mean Florida is all ready and set for the ill effects of rising global temperatures. A nationally recognized advocacy group that rated states on preparedness gave Florida a C- ....
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/broward-politics-blog/fl-reg-climate-change-sofla-20170221-story.html
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bbr2314

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #241 on: March 01, 2017, 10:55:01 PM »
The most climate change action I've seen documented in South Florida to date.

South Florida continues prep for sea level rise
Quote
South Florida is taking more steps to protect against climate change and the rising seas that already are spilling over into neighborhoods.

This month, Broward County ordered that new flood maps be drawn using predictions of higher waters, the latest in a series of steps taken from Palm Beach County to the Keys.

Fort Lauderdale raised the required height of sea walls and the elevation of home sites; Delray Beach added valves to keep salt water out of the city drainage system; Broward County put a financing program in place for homeowners who want to tap solar energy.

That doesn’t mean Florida is all ready and set for the ill effects of rising global temperatures. A nationally recognized advocacy group that rated states on preparedness gave Florida a C- ....
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/broward-politics-blog/fl-reg-climate-change-sofla-20170221-story.html
This is a joke. Within five years I expect real estate prices in South Florida to have fallen 50%+ compared to current levels.

There is simply nothing that can be done to save Miami et al & any additional capital currently being sunk into the region for "defense" adds to the waste; I do not think economics will allow this to continue much longer as the sheer scale of what is already unfolding begins becoming more obvious to the general population.

Adjusting "official" forecasts for sea level rise says nothing when the benchmarks for what they measure it against seem to keep changing. Projections for 31" of SLR "on the low end" by 2100 seem to ignore the fact that we are already seeing waters 26-27" above 1988-NAVD during fall King Tide events completely independent of significant tropical influence.

Even if you mandate new construction be 1' higher compared to old that only buys another ~10 yrs given current rates of practical sea level rise. And that does nothing for the existing stock, much of which is rapidly going to crumble into nothingness as its value begins depreciating when flooding becomes an annual occurrence.

I believe South Florida's impending collapse will make what has happened to Detroit look lovely in comparison.

Tor Bejnar

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #242 on: March 02, 2017, 01:26:02 AM »
...
This is a joke. Within five years I expect real estate prices in South Florida to have fallen 50%+ compared to current levels.
...
I agree these reported efforts are minuscule compared with the impending problems, but not all neighborhoods are affected by king tides directly yet (as an example), so I expect a great deal of South Florida real estate will continue to be economically viable  for a decade or two, maybe three.  (No, I'll not invest, but business is business for those who practice squeezing nickles [U.S. 5 cent coins] out of whole cloth - is that a mixed enough metaphor in this Trumpian age?)
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wili

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #243 on: March 02, 2017, 01:48:14 AM »
https://robertscribbler.com/2017/03/01/famine-warning-issued-in-four-countries-following-worst-african-droughts-in-decades/#comments

Famine Warning Issued in Four Countries Following Worst African Droughts in Decades

Quote
Abnormally warm West Pacific sea surface temperatures — in part driven by a weak La Nina, in part driven by global warming — produced changes in atmospheric circulation that considerably reduced rainfall over Eastern and Southern Africa during 2016. As a result, places like Rwanda, Kenya, Eithiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia experienced some of their worst droughts in decades.


According to the Famine Early Warning Network,  more than 70 million people are facing hunger around the world in 2017. The primary causes include drought, military conflict, and lack of ability of nations to access food on the international market. Four countries — Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria — now face famine. And drought and conflict stricken Africa is the primary hot-spot for global hunger. Climate change has likely worsened this situation by adding to the intensity of droughts and heatwaves now affecting the region...

Additionally, conflict combined with the after effect of a 2014-2015 drought has disrupted food and water access in Yemen. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s falling purchasing power following a 2015 drought has rendered it unable to reliably procure food locally or on the international market.

These synergistic factors have forced plummeting food production and food security throughout Africa and nearby Middle Eastern countries. And now four nations — Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and Nigeria — have been placed under a famine alert. In these countries alone, 20 million people face starvation and the world-over more than 70 million people are under threat from hunger.

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bbr2314

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #244 on: March 02, 2017, 01:54:40 AM »
...
This is a joke. Within five years I expect real estate prices in South Florida to have fallen 50%+ compared to current levels.
...
I agree these reported efforts are minuscule compared with the impending problems, but not all neighborhoods are affected by king tides directly yet (as an example), so I expect a great deal of South Florida real estate will continue to be economically viable  for a decade or two, maybe three.  (No, I'll not invest, but business is business for those who practice squeezing nickles [U.S. 5 cent coins] out of whole cloth - is that a mixed enough metaphor in this Trumpian age?)
I believe between 5-10% of SoFL is currently being impacted. Adding another foot of inundation on top of today's levels puts that to ~20%, and is likely on a regular basis (IMO) within 10 years.

While that is the amount of housing stock that will be flooding regularly in 10 years, that understates the impact to underlying infrastructure. What about roads, sewers, underground utilities in general? These become much more vulnerable and will be impacted in places where homes aren't yet being flooded.

With some neighborhoods already going under, these problems of wear & tear on maintenance that demand increasingly prohibitive investments simply for continued use equate to imminent financial failure. Once these "investments" in pumps/etc show to be useless there will be a rapid realization that nothing can be done and demand for SoFL real estate will evaporate within the span of a few years.

Tor Bejnar

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #245 on: March 02, 2017, 06:58:57 PM »
bbr2314,
We may be talking past each other a bit. 

Salt water intrusion is impacting many places, even 6 miles inland.  House-flooding king tides: not so many.  (A 2016 news article included "By 2100, sea levels could swell high enough to submerge 12.5 percent of Florida’s homes." - I don't believe the "2100" or "submerge" in the article, but it suggests a few feet of SLR will directly affect 'only' 12.5% of homes.)

My guess is that these AGW issues will close down much of SE Florida in 20-30 years.  That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of pain and suffering (i.e., economic losses) along the way.  More superficial beach encroachment (and replenishment) issues will get more 'air time' this next decade, I fear.
Arctic ice is healthy for children and other living things because "we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice"

DrTskoul

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #246 on: March 10, 2017, 11:36:48 PM »
Shrinking Sagar Island struggles to stay afloat as sea level rises – “We have made nature very angry”

Quote
The water rushed in at night,” recalls Madan Mohan Pal of Hendalketki in Sagar Island. “By the morning, the entire village was under water. When the flood receded, the land was so saline that we could grow nothing for the next two years.” Although Pal has harvested a good paddy crop this January, memory of the sudden tidal surge remains fresh.

An unpredicted high tide broke the embankments of Muriganga River in the night of 12 July 2014, and swept through 14 villages spread over 30 sq. km. The damage was extensive in the eastern part of the island. It disrupted life for about 25,000 people. More than 4,000 houses were destroyed and some 500 hectares of cropland turned saline. The sea hasn’t really retreated from some of the villages since then.

Sagar Island is arguably an object lesson on how people are coping with a rising sea. Considered sacred by Hindus because it sits at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, this large island of 160,000 people is buffeted by the worst effects of climate change — coastal erosion, rising sea levels, unpredictable tidal surges, land salinity and more violent cyclonic storms.

https://www.thethirdpole.net/2017/03/08/shrinking-sagar-island-struggles-to-stay-afloat/

Sigmetnow

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #247 on: March 12, 2017, 01:33:04 PM »
More on nuisance flooding in the U.S.:

"Nuisance" floods may cost U.S. cities as much as major hurricane disasters - scientists
Quote
Nuisance flooding is defined by the National Ocean Service as "flooding that leads to public inconveniences such as road closures", but rarely causes death or injury.

The floods can overwhelm storm drains, and slowly degenerate infrastructure and strain city resources.

Roads and sidewalks were not built to be under saltwater for hours on end, and cities usually have to close roads and send in trucks to clean them up, the scientists said.

"They definitely can't withstand this," said lead author Hamed Moftakhari, also of UCI. And the damage leads to "long, drawn-out costs", he added.

In Boston specifically, "king tides" overwhelm walkways and roads several times a year. The east coast city is predicted to see up to 100 hours of such nuisance flooding a year by 2030, the UCI scientists said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-floods-climatechange-idUSKBN16E24M
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gerontocrat

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #248 on: March 13, 2017, 05:55:33 PM »
Really Good article from bloomberg news on Alaska:-

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-09/alaska-s-big-problem-with-warmer-winters

Not good news for the humans in Alaska, but perhaps it is for non-human life forms.
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gerontocrat

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Re: Places becoming less livable
« Reply #249 on: March 14, 2017, 10:46:54 AM »
Robertscribbler.com new article bringing together several causes and consequences. Well worth a read.
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