We built our world for a climate that no longer exists"Once you start to look, danger signs of Old World infrastructure are everywhere.
-
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/
-
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/
-
#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
-
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
-
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
-
"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."
-
" "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
-
"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/
-
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/
-
"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/
-
"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/
I wonder if all the salt we put on our roads in winter is having the same effect on the underground parking in millions of buildings or if they're actively mitigating against it?
-
R AodeRelay shared this topic
