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The Water Will Come

Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World
Jun 07, 2018PimaLib_NormS rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
“The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World”, by Jeff Goodell is a depressing, but important book. The polar ice caps are melting, and the seas are rising. The reasons for this may be in dispute among some people, but most seem to agree that it is happening. The longer nothing is done, the more dire the consequences will be down the road. Think of all the highly populated coastal cities all over the world. What is going to happen to those people? By way of example, Goodell considers the plight of Miami, Florida. In 50-100 years, Miami could be a modern-day Atlantis under several feet of water. Not only that, and the absolute chaos that comes with it, the Turkey Point nuclear power plant is south of the city. Even a partial submerging of a nuclear power plant complex would be a major disaster. Goodell quotes the mayor of South Miami, Philip Stoddard, as saying, “It is impossible to imagine a stupider place to build a nuclear plant than Turkey Point.” Well, yes. But it is there, so what are we going to do? Unfortunately, the answer, at least at this time, is “Not much.” The remedies for sea rise and protection of coastal areas are too hard, too expensive, too disruptive, too political. “The Water Will Come” explains the dangers of doing nothing, and it is likely that future generations will have an even more difficult situation in need of solutions. I would guess they‘ll wonder why we did nothing before it was too late.