By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org News staff
NARRAGANSETT — The
Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island recently held the second in
series of seminars on climate change. The program honors the late Peter B.
Lord, longtime environmental writer for the Providence Journal. Here are a few
noteworthy points that were offered Nov. 30 by 15 scientists, engineers,
planners and other experts:
Snowpack in the Northeast has decreased its
annual volume by 11 percent since 1900.
Rebuilding on the coast after storms is ultimately
futile, according to Oakley, an expert on shoreline erosion. “Retreat is the
only sure option. The others are just Band-Aids.”
Oakley recognized the
reluctance of owners to give up their land. One possible option for keeping
shorelines assessable, he said, is to build impervious road surfaces that
adjust to the forces of erosion.
Coastal cities, Oakley said, face bigger challenges than
beach communities, as elevating metropolises would be a massive and costly
undertaking.
The National Park
Service is adapting to
climate change by replacing structures at its coastal parks with movable
buildings. Asphalt parking lots are being replaced with permeable, clay-based
materials and clamshells.
Salt marshes are considered ideal for coastline
protection, especially during storms. It’s been asserted that marshes accrete,
or essentially grow taller, as the sea level rises. But Wenley Ferguson, Save
The Bay’s restoration coordinator, said marshes may not be to keep up with
rising sea levels, especially as erosion accelerates along their edges.
Flood zones, as determined by FEMA, don't take into
account expected sea level rise.
The Coastal Resources
Management Council (CRMC) is
planning for higher sea level, erosion and storm surges. Director Grover Fugate
said there is no uncertainty about climate change. “I can tell you it’s real. I
can’t tell you how fast it’s moving and how bad it’s going to get," he
said.
Fugate advocated for
planning for the worst-case scenario. “Even if we go to zero emissions today,
we’ll see sea level rise for centuries, potentially," he said.
State Department of
Transportation director Michael
Lewis used gallows humor to describe the inevitability of the destructive force
brought on by climate change. “If you lose the community, why do you need the
road?” he asked.
Wastewater treatment
facilities, which the DOT manages, are already retrenching for flooding, Lewis
said.
State Division of
Statewide Planning is asking cities
and towns to include adaptation for sea level rise and climate change in their
comprehensive plans.
State Climate Change Commission is likely to be more reactive than
proactive about climate change adaptation, according to Rep. Art Handy,
D-Cranston. "I have a sense we are fiddling as Rome is burning," he
said.