SURVIVING CLIMATE CHANGE - PART 2

Step 5: Once each country has done a full risk assessment of the impact of climate change to their country, they will submit this assessment to the SCC. Once all assessments have been received, a full analysis shall be conducted to assess the common risks, such as cities on the coastline or cities on riverbanks and flood plains. Generic solutions will then be identified for each group of risks. This will ensure economies of scale in building and designing global solutions, rather than hundreds of different ones. The solutions will be proposed and agreed by specialists in the relevant fields, ready for international and dedicated teams to carry out the work in the appropriate countries. Each country will be responsible for the costs of remediating their issues and will supply the labor required to complete each project. If a country doesn’t have the financial resources needed for their projects, they will pay as much as they reasonably can, with the remaining fees held on an account. These fees will be reimbursed via a repayment plan that is fair and equitable. Climate change affects every country, so every country must pay for it.

The SCC will identify solutions and strategies based on the risk assessment and the technologies available, however here are some ideas they may consider.

New coast and flood plain properties or developments – All global planning for coastal and river developments should be put on hold immediately. All new coastal developments must be put on stilts, be floatable or mobile. This is common sense. The River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon had 2 major floods in 2007 and 2008. Today, the riverbank caravans are on flotation platforms and the club house is on 2 meters stilts. Similar technologies can be used by all new developments that could be affected by water levels.

Existing private coastal properties – Private individuals should take it upon themselves to raise, relocate or prepare for possible flooding. It is their personal responsibility, not the government, unless the property is in an area designated by the country that needs protecting. When people buy property, they take a risk. If you buy a property on a riverbank, the coast or a flood plain you should not be surprised that it is at risk of being flooded. Fortunately, the rising of sea levels is unlikely to happen overnight and could take as much as 100 years, so there should be time to get use out of these properties or look at long term preservation options.

River protection – For properties and assets at risk from river flooding, appropriate water level barriers, similar to the Thames barrier, should be built. Besides controlling water levels, they could also be used to generate electricity through hydroelectric power.

Historical properties at risk – It is now possible to move complete properties. Where a historic property is at risk, it is likely the local community will want to save it. Between the community and the Government, they should be able to relocate any historical property.

Run off canals or channels – Where important inland areas are on flood plains, canals or channels, similar to levees, should be built to absorb overflows, thereby reducing and controlling flooding. These new routes should navigate flood water to new lakes, estuaries, and rivers. Again, the channels should be built with hydroelectric power stations at regular intervals, not only to create free electricity but also to regulate water flow, thereby controlling flood waters.

Sea walls – Each country that has major cities or critical developments directly on the coast should build a coastal wall similar to the current breakwater walls used in front of private marines. These sea walls could be miles long to protect the cities, communities and natural assets but would have huge electronic locks, similar to those used in cannels, to allow all levels of shipping through but at the same time control water levels. The advantage of these walls is that if water levels turn out to be higher than expected, the wall can just be made higher over time.

Other global warming issues – Rising sea levels is likely to be the biggest global risk from climate change, but there are others, such as earthquakes and fires. Earthquake technology is already in place for high-risk areas around the world, so these solutions should continue to be used. As for forest fires, these can be prevented by more rigorous forest management; this can be achieved in many ways, like by leaving more space between trees, having less vegetation on the forest floor, and, more importantly, by educating people. Germany has extensive forestry, including the famous black forest, yet 96% of all their fires are caused by humans. If forests become no smoking areas, and campfires are banned, with high fines, the risk can be reduced. Again, the SCC can come up with global strategies on managing forest fires and other risks from global warming. On the other side of the argument, they can also come up with initiatives that take advantage of global warming, such as the reclamation of fertile land that has been freed up by the melting of permafrost at the poles and other snow-covered northern and southern regions. Global warming also leads to better food harvests, especially for products that require warmth, like tomatoes and oranges. Global warming, besides being a risk can also be an opportunity, if we change our mindset.

Like COVID, the narrative around climate change has been created to instill fear into us all. We need to stop, take a breath and ignore the doom sayers. We have time to fix these issues and prepare for global warming but only if we as a species pool our resources and brain power. If we remain arrogant and think we can stop nature or globalization then we don’t deserve to survive.