Oy Vey! South Florida May be Lost to Global Warming

When news came out about polar bears’ melting habitats, Florida water managers sat up and listened. It’s always been known that melting ice caps could raise the sea level in the state, but officials are finally concerned enough to take real action. Despite a governing board full of Bush supporters (and some global warming deniers), board members decided to review the situation and come up with a plan.

From the Sun-Sentinel:

The South Florida Water Management District’s long-term plans once anticipated the sea level rising about 1 foot by 2100, but more recent projections say the rise could be five times as much.

That could move the southern tip of Florida’s mainland to the Tamiami Trail and submerge swaths of some of the most populated areas along the southeast coast.

From flooding to more saltwater seeping in and fouling drinking water supplies, climate change is an issue that needs more attention, said Jayantha Obeysekera, who will lead the district’s global warming review.

“We cannot put up walls and stop the sea level,” Obeysekera said. “Let’s start looking at it [and] see what our vulnerabilities are.”

This situation, though in all seriousness very worrisome, brings to mind some pretty comical images for me since I grew up in the area. Picture the scene in Boca Raton, where tacky nouveau riche retiree-chic reigns supreme: women in gold blazers and ostrich-feather hats swearing in Yiddish, up to their knees in water, standing on the rooftops of their vomit-pink houses holding their Shih Tzus above their heads. Classic. Of course, the change wouldn’t happen that quickly (hopefully) but it’s fun to imagine.

Link [Sun-Sentinel]
Photo credit: DoggieBowties.com

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