4 ms·

Isn't the solution simple here - to build levees or damming the river? I know levees are expensive but given how critical this area is to China's development, t

Isn't the solution simple here - to build levees or damming the river? I know levees are expensive but given how critical this area is to China's development, the cost is justified. I mean, entire New Orleans region is below sea level and is supported by levees.

nullnilvoid 10y ago
That's what they have been doing in Netherlands for decades. Half of Netherlands is less than one meter above sea level. A significant portion is below sea level already.
- dmix 10y ago
  I haven't yet read this article but is this really that much of a threat to these cities? It really does seem like the solution to build levies/walls is obvious and straight forward. Am I missing something about the complexity of this problem? I'd imagine the scale/length could be quite expensive for some of these areas. But it hardly seems like an unattainable infrastructure building project. Especially considering all of the talk about billions of dollars in potential damages to cities... This is exactly why we pay taxes.
  - IIIIIIIIIIII 10y ago
    The problem probably isn't the situation 364.8 days per year, but what happens that one time every few years when weather (typhoons) and maybe even the tides align to create conditions much worse than average for just a few hours. See New Orleans... the worst part is that because it's so rare most people (and media) will rant against the "waste of taxpayer money". You have to build very expensive infrastructure that's almost never needed, that goes against human nature it seems to me.
  - darpa_escapee 10y ago
    The East and Gulf coasts of the US are hit with tropical storms and hurricanes each year. A rise in sea-level means more intense flooding and destruction when storms land in these regions. The problem is no one wants to pay for expensive stopgaps or solutions at the moment.
Animats 10y ago
Damming the river makes it worse. Water flow from the river has to go somewhere. As sea levels rise, the river expands. The Mississippi creates floods of this type well upstream from New Orleans.

nullnilvoid 10y ago

That's what they have been doing in Netherlands for decades. Half of Netherlands is less than one meter above sea level. A significant portion is below sea level already.

dmix 10y ago
I haven't yet read this article but is this really that much of a threat to these cities? It really does seem like the solution to build levies/walls is obvious and straight forward. Am I missing something about the complexity of this problem? I'd imagine the scale/length could be quite expensive for some of these areas. But it hardly seems like an unattainable infrastructure building project. Especially considering all of the talk about billions of dollars in potential damages to cities... This is exactly why we pay taxes.
- IIIIIIIIIIII 10y ago
  The problem probably isn't the situation 364.8 days per year, but what happens that one time every few years when weather (typhoons) and maybe even the tides align to create conditions much worse than average for just a few hours. See New Orleans... the worst part is that because it's so rare most people (and media) will rant against the "waste of taxpayer money". You have to build very expensive infrastructure that's almost never needed, that goes against human nature it seems to me.
- darpa_escapee 10y ago
  The East and Gulf coasts of the US are hit with tropical storms and hurricanes each year. A rise in sea-level means more intense flooding and destruction when storms land in these regions. The problem is no one wants to pay for expensive stopgaps or solutions at the moment.

Animats 10y ago

Damming the river makes it worse. Water flow from the river has to go somewhere. As sea levels rise, the river expands. The Mississippi creates floods of this type well upstream from New Orleans.