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I worry that this framing tends to exempt the authorities from responsibility. The article talks a lot about the raw effect of the flooding, a lot about high-le

I worry that this framing tends to exempt the authorities from responsibility. The article talks a lot about the raw effect of the flooding, a lot about high-level climate goals, and barely at all about how governments should tackle the problems they're facing today. It does quote a professor who says the tragedy "should have been avoided" because "the warnings were not taken seriously enough and preparations were inadequate", but shouldn't the biggest question here be how they were inadequate and which additional preparations ought to have happened? Surely there's gotta be action items beyond just renewing our commitment to reducing emissions.

lhorie 5y ago
Yeah, I take issue with the idea that carbon offsets alone will magically fix everything. In Toronto, there was a mandate a few years ago for all houses to disconnect downspouts from the sewer system (so that rainwater is absorbed into the ground of the sprawling suburbs instead of overloading the city plumbing system. They've also been building gigantic water reservoirs by the lake in anticipation of increased pressure in said plumbing systems. I think at this point, it sounds like the people saying we're already too late are not really being alarmist, and that we are going to need to pay that price in the form of lots of infrastructure projects to deal with things like extreme floods. The scary thing IMHO is Germany clearly invested in such infrastructure[0] and yet here we are. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LseK5gp66u8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LseK5gp66u8
- loopz 5y ago
  We are likely to have to tackle both climate change (warming), and mitigation. It's just that nobody has the authority and resources for it, before calamity strikes.
  - lhorie 5y ago
    Sorry, I didn't mean to sound defeatist, I meant "we're too late" in the sense that the damages are already here, so now we're not merely talking about just the cost of prevention anymore, but also about the cost of a cure on top of it.
    - loopz 5y ago
      Yeah, I modified my response. I think we both agree measures will be reactive in regards extremes.

lhorie 5y ago

Yeah, I take issue with the idea that carbon offsets alone will magically fix everything. In Toronto, there was a mandate a few years ago for all houses to disconnect downspouts from the sewer system (so that rainwater is absorbed into the ground of the sprawling suburbs instead of overloading the city plumbing system. They've also been building gigantic water reservoirs by the lake in anticipation of increased pressure in said plumbing systems. I think at this point, it sounds like the people saying we're already too late are not really being alarmist, and that we are going to need to pay that price in the form of lots of infrastructure projects to deal with things like extreme floods. The scary thing IMHO is Germany clearly invested in such infrastructure[0] and yet here we are. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LseK5gp66u8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LseK5gp66u8

loopz 5y ago
We are likely to have to tackle both climate change (warming), and mitigation. It's just that nobody has the authority and resources for it, before calamity strikes.
- lhorie 5y ago
  Sorry, I didn't mean to sound defeatist, I meant "we're too late" in the sense that the damages are already here, so now we're not merely talking about just the cost of prevention anymore, but also about the cost of a cure on top of it.
  - loopz 5y ago
    Yeah, I modified my response. I think we both agree measures will be reactive in regards extremes.