Cities to be Submerged due to Global Warming - Research Paper Example

September 8, Global Politics Research Paper: Cities to be Submerged due to Global Warming Introduction Much publicity has been disseminated regarding the effects of global warming, particularly in terms of melting the polar caps and evidently submerging parts of the world through what has been categorized as surging seas. Environmental analysts have become more sophisticated in publishing reports that indicate which specific cities run the risk of being submerged in particular orders, depending on current sea levels, contour of the land, and drainage systems, and other soil absorption capacities. In this regard, the current research aims to identify the cities that are identified to be threatened by surging seas and, given the information, the discourse likewise aims to present proposed recommendations that would address the impending risk to the lives and properties within these areas. Cities Identified to be Submerged From the article written by Weiner entitled “7 Cities About to Sink” and published online in the U.S. News, the following cities in chronological order are identified to be affected by surging seas or increasing sea water: Mexico City (Mexico), Venice (Italy), New Orleans (Louisiana), Shanghai (China), Houston (Texas), New York City (New York), and Bangkok (Thailand). It could be alarming to note that three of these cities are located in the United States. Another organization that monitors the surging seas is Climate Central that identified specific areas within the United States which would be threatened by increased sea waters, to wit: “the odds of “century” or worse floods occurring by 2030 are on track to double or more, over widespread areas of the U.S” (Surging Seas par. 1). The map enables viewers to determine specific details by clicking any location. For instance, since New Orleans was identified as one among the cities that are threatened by rising sea levels, information on the map about New Orleans reveal the following: “Things below +1ft in New Orleans, Louisiana Population 249,148 72.5% Homes 131,401 69.2% Acres 57,946 74.0% Over 1 in 6 chance sea level rise + storm surge + tide will overtop +1ft by 2020 at nearest flood risk indicator site: Grand Isle, East Point, La, 55.7 miles away” (Surging Seas: New Orleans) Thus, viewers are accorded with informational details regarding population, homes, acres of land that would be affected by the surging seas. It is surprising therefore to see that when one searched on the plans, actions and resources link to determine the city’s policies to prepare for the impending sea rise level, there is no information available on courses of action prepared by Louisiana. From among the other cities identified above as facing risks of surging seas (including New York City and Houston, only New York provided extensive details attesting their preparations efforts for this environmental dilemma (Surging Seas: Plans, Actions and Resources: Preparing for Sea Level Rise). The plans of New York City to prepare for the surging seas were also noted in the article entitled “Climate Change Threatens 10 Degree Rise, Submerged Cities” published online in Environmental Leader. It was hereby revealed that “other US states and cities with vulnerable shores, such as New York, have proposed a number of changes to protect the coastlines from future superstorms. A draft report prepared by the NYS 2100 commission suggests the state consider storm surge barriers to protect New York Harbor and recommends adding “green infrastructure” features to the state’s industrial shoreline” (Climate Change Threatens 10 Degree Rise, Submerged Cities par. 6). Proposed Approaches to Address Surging Seas As some of the states in American have already started to prepare for the impending sea level rises that could significantly submerge identified cities, there was an information pack gathered and collected by the Urban Land Institute entitled “Practical Approaches to Sea Level Rise, Flooding, and Frequent Storm Events” that provided different articles published on the subject of addressing surging seas, among others. In contained interesting approaches that have been apparently applied by other nations faced with flooding and frequent natural disasters that necessitate immediate response. One of such articles written by Goodyear focused on how the Dutch allegedly applied coordination among residents, policy makers, and other stakeholders in resolving frequent flooding. The report indicated that “for Dutch, coordination is a simple necessity. It’s only coordination that has enabled the Dutch to hold their ground against a rising tide for the last few centuries – and to market their expertise around the world… the Dutch approach is about much more than engineering. It’s about governance, openness to new ideas, flexibility, and a willingness to realize that sometimes, when the common good is threatened, stubborn individualism is useless” (Goodyear pars. 12 & 13). Likewise, another article written by McIlwan also revealed measures at the aftermath of Storm Sandy, as disclosed herewith: “boilers and electrical equipment should be required to be placed above flood levels, not in the basement as currently required by the city’s building code” (par. 11). In addition the “Strategies for Managing Sea Level Rise” published online in SPUR, identified explicit techniques ranging from establishment of barriers; coastal armoring; elevated and floating developments; floodable development; living shorelines; and managed retreat. This discourse has detailed concrete examples for each strategy, as well as respective advantages and disadvantages of each option. Conclusion The discourse has successfully achieved its aim of presenting cities that are reportedly most at risk of being affected by the rising sea levels. Likewise, there have been vast amounts of information that disclose relevant strategies which would assist in addressing this environmental dilemma. There have been innumerable instances that have evidently proven that rising sea levels have caused havoc in contemporary cities. The warnings and reminders have all been sent, published, and effectively communicated in various medium. Therefore, as policy makers, business practitioners, or mere observers, as citizens of a universal world, each has the role and obligation to be committed in contributing whatever one could afford towards managing and addressing the surging seas. The time frames have been disclosed. One needs to act now to be able to ensure that our lives and properties would be duly protected when the surging seas and rising sea levels affect our cities in the near future. Works Cited "Climate Change Threatens 10 Degree Rise, Submerged Cities." 15 January 2013. Environmental Leader. 14 March 2013 . Goodyear, Sarah. "Were In This Together: What the Dutch Know About Flooding That We Dont." 9 January 2013. The Atlantic Cities. 14 March 2013 . McIlwan, John K. "Sandy and the Rising Tide: Responding to the Rise in Sea Levels." 6 November 2012. Urban Land. 14 March 2013 . "Strategies for Managing Sea Level Rise." 2009. SPUR. 14 March 2013 . "Surging Seas." n.d. Climate Central: The Facts about Sea Level Rise. 12 March 2013 . "Surging Seas: New Orleans." n.d. Climate Central. 13 March 2013 . "Surging Seas: Plans, Actions and Resources: Preparing for Sea Level Rise." n.d. Climate Central. 13 March 2013 . Urban Land Institute. "Info Pack Vol. 3 of 3: Practical Approaches to Sea Level Rise, Flooding, and Frequent Storm Events." 17 January 2013. uli.org. 14 March 2013 . Weiner, Miriam B. "7 Cities About to Sink." 2013. U.S. News. 12 March 2013 . Read More