We’re not here to entertain your thoughts or opinions on climate change. Everyone is entitled to believe what they want in regards to the subject, no matter how naive or accurate their beliefs may be. One thing for sure is: If scientists, politicians, city planners, community leaders and everyday jamokes like you and me don’t act soon, much of what makes Boston so great could someday soon be lost, Atlantis style.
A new report published by the aptly named Union of Concerned Scientists examines some of the nation’s most environmentally at-risk areas, many of which are of the utmost historical significance. Not only are rising sea levels and temperatures a concern, but the imminent state of the environment is likely to yield coastal erosion, increased flooding, heavy rains, and frequent large wildfires to archaeological resources, historic buildings, and cultural landscapes.
“Many of the landmarks covered in this report are sites where innovative, enterprising, and visionary individuals made a difference,” the report reads. “Many are places where our ancestors made their homes, and together represent the shared history that makes up the fabric of this nation’s heritage.”
When it comes to Boston, nearly every inch of the city is innovative, enterprising and historical. Lucky for us, as noted in the report, the City of Boston is already taking steps to ensure that its coast, and that of much of the region’s, is prepared for the worst.
But there’s still plenty of work to be done.
Back in April, a torrent of urban designers, engineers, academics and advocates took it upon themselves to gather in South Boston’s Innovation District to brainstorm solutions for rising sea levels. And while initiatives like this certainly act as examples for how we can all partake – the report says Boston is “proactive in planning resilience strategies” – much more needs to be done.
After all, Boston is expected to bear the brunt of Mother Nature’s wrath by the year 2050. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the Boston metro area will sustain the eighth-highest economic loss due to coastal flooding in the entire world between now and 2050, worth a staggering $237 million per year.
If Boston had been a little less lucky dodging Hurricane Sandy, and the superstorm unleashed its fury on our corner of New England, the Boston Harbor Association predicted it alone would have been forceful enough to put 65 percent of Fort Point Channel and Blackstone Black historic districts underwater.
In the winter of 2013-2014, higher storm tides due to nor’easters occurred during low tide – even higher than what would have occurred had Sandy actually struck Boston. If the nor’easters hit during high tides, storm surges would’ve pushed flooding up over the waterfront in the North End and reached as far inland as Faneuil Hall and City Hall.
Local organizations like the Environmental League of Massachusetts are constantly advocating for more political resources to be allocated towards stymieing the man-made, rapid changes taking place in the environment, as well as the means to stop them from detrimentally affecting our landscapes and cityscapes.
