We built our world for a climate that no longer exists"Once you start to look, danger signs of Old World infrastructure are everywhere.
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"While climate change does not cause hurricanes, we are certain it makes them more destructive. Humans have increased sea level, leading to more destructive storm surge, and a warmer atmosphere produces more rain.
[These effects] push our physical environment beyond thresholds that infrastructure was designed to handle."
https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/you-will-not-escape-the-climate-crisis
"Residents who have watched their life savings get washed away multiple times are left with few choices — leave the communities where their families have lived for generations, pay tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild their houses on stilts as building codes require, or move into a recreational vehicle they can drive out of harm’s way.
That’s if they can afford any of those things."
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"Residents who have watched their life savings get washed away multiple times are left with few choices — leave the communities where their families have lived for generations, pay tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild their houses on stilts as building codes require, or move into a recreational vehicle they can drive out of harm’s way.
That’s if they can afford any of those things."
"The government enjoys broad legal authority to move people out of their homes to promote the public interest, so long as it provides property owners with what the U.S. Constitution calls “just compensation.”
This seemingly universal doctrine is unfair in a fundamental sense, however, since it makes it far easier for a government to buy out and relocate a poor neighborhood than a wealthy one."
https://grist.org/migration/climate-change-home-buyouts-displacement-managed-retreat/
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"The government enjoys broad legal authority to move people out of their homes to promote the public interest, so long as it provides property owners with what the U.S. Constitution calls “just compensation.”
This seemingly universal doctrine is unfair in a fundamental sense, however, since it makes it far easier for a government to buy out and relocate a poor neighborhood than a wealthy one."
https://grist.org/migration/climate-change-home-buyouts-displacement-managed-retreat/
Another reality:
Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by #ClimateMigration?
"As people move away from flooding and heat, new research suggests that those who remain will be older, poorer and more vulnerable."
https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-change-migration-hurricane-helene
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Another reality:
Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by #ClimateMigration?
"As people move away from flooding and heat, new research suggests that those who remain will be older, poorer and more vulnerable."
https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-change-migration-hurricane-helene
"From hurricanes to deadly heatwaves, crippling droughts to crop failures – the consequences of #ClimateChange are potentially catastrophic.
Yet many governments do not routinely consider extreme climate scenarios in their security plans, and instead continue to assume that climate risks will gradually evolve over the long term.
This approach is proving to be grossly insufficient."
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"From hurricanes to deadly heatwaves, crippling droughts to crop failures – the consequences of #ClimateChange are potentially catastrophic.
Yet many governments do not routinely consider extreme climate scenarios in their security plans, and instead continue to assume that climate risks will gradually evolve over the long term.
This approach is proving to be grossly insufficient."
One post upthread says that climate change has moved the Probable Maximum Precipitation.
Looks like the probably maximum heat also needs to be revisited."We should brace for worse-than-expected #heatwaves in the years ahead, as climate models are underestimating the potency of these events in some areas, including the UK and northern France, southern Australia and northern Canada."
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One post upthread says that climate change has moved the Probable Maximum Precipitation.
Looks like the probably maximum heat also needs to be revisited."We should brace for worse-than-expected #heatwaves in the years ahead, as climate models are underestimating the potency of these events in some areas, including the UK and northern France, southern Australia and northern Canada."
The non-linear interactions between climate change, local soil conditions, the effects of large cities, local hydrological cycle, etc. would not be included in planetary-scale climate models.
Looks like we're in the "finding out" stage.
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The non-linear interactions between climate change, local soil conditions, the effects of large cities, local hydrological cycle, etc. would not be included in planetary-scale climate models.
Looks like we're in the "finding out" stage.
"Across #Canada, about 10,000 kilometres of winter roads are constructed each year, many crossing ice-covered lakes. For northern communities, these #IceRoads are essential for economic stability, health and security.
In some regions, #ClimateChange has already disrupted transportation."
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-canadas-ice-roads-hard-to-navigate-242569
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"Across #Canada, about 10,000 kilometres of winter roads are constructed each year, many crossing ice-covered lakes. For northern communities, these #IceRoads are essential for economic stability, health and security.
In some regions, #ClimateChange has already disrupted transportation."
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-canadas-ice-roads-hard-to-navigate-242569
"The biggest lesson that we need to learn is that we are just plain not prepared for the climate that we have created. Our world is not built for the #climate that we live in, and the biggest change is going to require acknowledging that fact.
I’m scared that we’re going to rebuild LA more or less the same way, without using this as an opportunity to rethink how LA is built and reinvest in public infrastructure, [and] a retreat from building in the most risky areas. "
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/18/climate/jeff-goodell-rebuilding-la-fires/index.html
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"The biggest lesson that we need to learn is that we are just plain not prepared for the climate that we have created. Our world is not built for the #climate that we live in, and the biggest change is going to require acknowledging that fact.
I’m scared that we’re going to rebuild LA more or less the same way, without using this as an opportunity to rethink how LA is built and reinvest in public infrastructure, [and] a retreat from building in the most risky areas. "
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/18/climate/jeff-goodell-rebuilding-la-fires/index.html
How huge parts of the U.S. could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’
"From poisoned water supplies to infrastructure issues to polar vortices, the entire U.S. is being threatened by #ClimateChange, and why you can’t just move to Vermont to escape it
“The costs of failure are way more than the cost of doing something about it,” Chester adds. “You can’t turn away from the LA wildfires or NYC flooding. The costs are astronomical.”"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/usa-cities-unlivable-climate-change-b2687239.html
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How huge parts of the U.S. could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’
"From poisoned water supplies to infrastructure issues to polar vortices, the entire U.S. is being threatened by #ClimateChange, and why you can’t just move to Vermont to escape it
“The costs of failure are way more than the cost of doing something about it,” Chester adds. “You can’t turn away from the LA wildfires or NYC flooding. The costs are astronomical.”"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/usa-cities-unlivable-climate-change-b2687239.html
Examples of how we built our cities for a climate that no longer exists
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Examples of how we built our cities for a climate that no longer exists
Why Los Angeles Burned
"We’re in trouble not because we’re helpless, or because we have broken the planet beyond repair. We’re in trouble because we live in a world that was built for a climate that no longer exists, and the rebuilding of our world to adapt to this new, hotter, more dangerous climate is a task that we have hardly begun to undertake."
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/climate-change-la-fires-cause-1235263674/
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Why Los Angeles Burned
"We’re in trouble not because we’re helpless, or because we have broken the planet beyond repair. We’re in trouble because we live in a world that was built for a climate that no longer exists, and the rebuilding of our world to adapt to this new, hotter, more dangerous climate is a task that we have hardly begun to undertake."
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/climate-change-la-fires-cause-1235263674/
#ClimateChange: “#Greece Was Built for a Climate That No Longer Exists,” Warns University of Athens Professor
"Greece has experienced such wildfires over the past three years, he noted. Paradoxically, extended droughts are often followed by extreme weather events causing floods and significant damage to urban and rural areas. These phenomena are intensified by rising sea surface temperatures, increasing by 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade."
https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/04/04/climate-change-greece/
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#ClimateChange: “#Greece Was Built for a Climate That No Longer Exists,” Warns University of Athens Professor
"Greece has experienced such wildfires over the past three years, he noted. Paradoxically, extended droughts are often followed by extreme weather events causing floods and significant damage to urban and rural areas. These phenomena are intensified by rising sea surface temperatures, increasing by 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade."
https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/04/04/climate-change-greece/
The Case for Paying Americans to Move Out of Floodplains
"A home in Mississippi, for example, flooded 34 times in 32 years, resulting in insurance claims totaling nearly 10 times the home’s value. This is not sustainable — there are places we simply shouldn’t be living.With federal disaster aid uncertain, states and localities should build voluntary buyout programs to relocate residents from floodplains."
https://www.governing.com/resilience/the-case-for-paying-americans-to-move-out-of-floodplains
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The Case for Paying Americans to Move Out of Floodplains
"A home in Mississippi, for example, flooded 34 times in 32 years, resulting in insurance claims totaling nearly 10 times the home’s value. This is not sustainable — there are places we simply shouldn’t be living.With federal disaster aid uncertain, states and localities should build voluntary buyout programs to relocate residents from floodplains."
https://www.governing.com/resilience/the-case-for-paying-americans-to-move-out-of-floodplains
We built a world for a climate that no longer exists, and the strains are showing.
"Buckled roads. Broken bridges. Delayed trains. Strained power grids that led to dangerous outages. Cases of heat illness and canceled sporting events.
As previous disasters have laid bare the US’ vulnerabilities to extreme weather, this week is revealing strains in the country’s infrastructure and highlighting the public health risks when faced with such record-breaking heat. "
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/weather/heat-wave-infrastructure-health-global-warming-climate
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We built a world for a climate that no longer exists, and the strains are showing.
"Buckled roads. Broken bridges. Delayed trains. Strained power grids that led to dangerous outages. Cases of heat illness and canceled sporting events.
As previous disasters have laid bare the US’ vulnerabilities to extreme weather, this week is revealing strains in the country’s infrastructure and highlighting the public health risks when faced with such record-breaking heat. "
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/weather/heat-wave-infrastructure-health-global-warming-climate
"Extreme heat is becoming a dangerous new normal that brings with it a number of health risks. From severe burns to accelerated aging, the effects of long periods of high temperatures on the human body are getting more attention in this time of rising climate change."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-long-term-health-risks-as-extreme-heat-becomes-a-new-normal
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"Extreme heat is becoming a dangerous new normal that brings with it a number of health risks. From severe burns to accelerated aging, the effects of long periods of high temperatures on the human body are getting more attention in this time of rising climate change."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-long-term-health-risks-as-extreme-heat-becomes-a-new-normal
" "AC is throwing a lot of energy at a problem that needs to be solved through building design first," Carraway said.
Instead, Carraway has opted to install insulation and a white roof, which absorbs less heat. He said solar panels on the roof and [a cypress tree] also help keep his home cool on the occasional hot days.
Many Americans simply can't afford AC due to the rising costs of summer cooling. That could put them at higher risk of heat illness and death."
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" "AC is throwing a lot of energy at a problem that needs to be solved through building design first," Carraway said.
Instead, Carraway has opted to install insulation and a white roof, which absorbs less heat. He said solar panels on the roof and [a cypress tree] also help keep his home cool on the occasional hot days.
Many Americans simply can't afford AC due to the rising costs of summer cooling. That could put them at higher risk of heat illness and death."
"More than 2in of rain fell in Central Park in the 7pm hour on Monday evening, part of a regional downpour that filled the city’s highways and subway tunnels and prompted several water rescues.
A rainstorm exceeding the subway design limit had never been recorded before 1991 but has happened six times since then, including Monday’s rains."
That subway was built for a climate that no longer exists.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/16/new-york-floods-storm-climate-change
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"More than 2in of rain fell in Central Park in the 7pm hour on Monday evening, part of a regional downpour that filled the city’s highways and subway tunnels and prompted several water rescues.
A rainstorm exceeding the subway design limit had never been recorded before 1991 but has happened six times since then, including Monday’s rains."
That subway was built for a climate that no longer exists.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/16/new-york-floods-storm-climate-change
City plans are made for a climate that no longer exists. Re-designing them will not be without pain. Not re-designing will bring a lot more pain.
"Floodplains belong to the rivers. For too long, we have tried to make them part of the property of humans and a place for human habitation. That simply cannot continue—not without more tragedies like those we have just witnessed on the Guadalupe and in Houston."
https://www.texasobserver.org/flooding-houston-hill-country-planning/
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City plans are made for a climate that no longer exists. Re-designing them will not be without pain. Not re-designing will bring a lot more pain.
"Floodplains belong to the rivers. For too long, we have tried to make them part of the property of humans and a place for human habitation. That simply cannot continue—not without more tragedies like those we have just witnessed on the Guadalupe and in Houston."
https://www.texasobserver.org/flooding-houston-hill-country-planning/
"What was supposed to be a model for how the government could get people out of harm’s way along the country’s steadily eroding coastlines has become a cautionary tale for the estimated 2.5 million Americans who could be forced to relocate away from the coast over the next 25 years.
[Nelson and Birch] wrote about the pitfalls of relocation initiatives in [Louisiana]. The best approach, they say, is to deeply involve the people who need to move away from the coast."
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092025/louisiana-isle-de-jean-charles-climate-relocation/
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"What was supposed to be a model for how the government could get people out of harm’s way along the country’s steadily eroding coastlines has become a cautionary tale for the estimated 2.5 million Americans who could be forced to relocate away from the coast over the next 25 years.
[Nelson and Birch] wrote about the pitfalls of relocation initiatives in [Louisiana]. The best approach, they say, is to deeply involve the people who need to move away from the coast."
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092025/louisiana-isle-de-jean-charles-climate-relocation/
"Much of the world’s building stock is entering its middle age under environmental conditions it was never designed to face."
https://insideecology.com/2026/02/09/city-skylines-need-an-upgrade-in-the-face-of-climate-stress/
