Climate change.  Despite the protestations of the few, it’s pretty clear that climate change is real.  And, the policies of TheDonald are simply going to bring about these changes more quickly.

As I’ve said (repeatedly), a trip to Norfolk would let you know how these changes are already present. Our navy knows what is happening to their base and the local residents know that driving down certain streets requires a boat and not a car.  Or, if you had the opportunity to visit Tangier Island over the years (the Eastern Shore of Virginia), you’d notice that most of the island has simply been overtaken by the ocean’s rise.

And, then, there’s New York City.  Which got alerted to the fact that a good portion of Manhattan will be underwater, as a result of the recent inundation effected by Hurricane Sandy.  So, it developed “The Big U” to protect the island (Manhattan IS an island, after all)  from West 57th Street [contiguous to the Hudson River] to the Battery [the lower tip of Manhattan] , and back up to East 42nd Street [which is along the East River].   Ten continuous miles of protection- for which construction is yet to start.

And, this summer, much of the Southwest learned about a new problem.  Climate change means that planes were grounded- for days on end.  It was simply too hot to enable a jet plane to take off from various airports, like Sky Harbor (Phoenix).

Once the temperature stays over 100 F, problems ensue.  If the temperatures reach 120, then the choice of planes that could take off from an airport is severely limited.  This is related to air density (which decreases as the temperatures skyrocket), so that flights may only be possible in the evening- if at all. (This is especially true in humid climates like Charlottesville- which also has a short runway, a situation that creates yet another problem.  But, airports at high altitudes have their own set of problems.)

That’s going to be a real problem, as we make believe that climate change is “fake news”.  Right now, about half the world’s population (in numerical value, not by counting individual people) travels by airplane each and every year.  And, most of those airports that are employed were built near waterways (seacoasts, riverbeds, deltas) to minimize interference with our civilizations or to avoid mountains.  Some of them, like San Francisco, Boston, and La Guardia were built contiguous to water, because many of the aircraft of old were sea planes- in that they took off and landed on water (not on a land-based runway).

 

As the sea level rises (which is expected to be some 6 feet higher in less than 50 years or so), these airports will be subject to mild storm surges.  Some others may actually simply succumb to the rising waters- without a sea surge.  This is why Hong Kong is building a 21 foot tall (at least) to protect the new third runway they have yet to complete.   Norway is wondering how they will deal with the fact that about ½ (20 of 45) airports within their borders will succumb to the rising seas.

Or, as the ambient temperature rises, the tarmac will melt- or be unable to withstand the weight of the plane, fuel, passengers, and freight.  So, we’ll need smaller planes- that are most uneconomical for most air carriers to fly.

Of course, the effect is occurring in other regions of the world.  Canadian airports now have seen their runways destroyed by the permafrost (now there’s a new oxymoron) thawing.  Other airports have had their underbellies (the concrete slabs under the tarmac) buckle from excessive heat.

Given the fact that America is spending zip on infrastructure, this situation becomes an horrendous issue.  When the tarmac melts, when the concrete crumbles, and as we need to extend the length of the runways (to handle the elevated temperatures), it means that our aviation industry may no longer be operational.  Because the only answer (assuming the runways are patent) is to restrict the number of passengers or the amount of freight (and/or baggage) that can be loaded onto the aircraft.

And, consider what that may mean for the aviation industry in the Middle East.  (Admittedly, this is why most international flights to and from Israel depart from dinnertime to almost breakfast.  I happen to like those rules- because it means I get home in time for a good night’s sleep before I go back to work after a sojourn in Jerusalem.)

Then, there are also real calamities coming.  Climate change is eradicating a good portion of the world’s wine production.  Wine production fell by 3 billion bottles this year alone, which means there was 8% less available bottled wine compared to last year (2016)- which also means this has been the lowest volume of wine production in 56 years (yes, since 1961)!    Extreme weather events in Italy (Chianti), France (Bordeaux) , and Spain (Rioja) are the leading causes.  And, this reduction hasn’t begun to reflect what destruction the fires in Northern California Wine Country will total!

Oh, yeah.  It gets worse.  As the temperatures rise, Syrah (my favorite wine) loses its peppery character.  For those of you who like Riesling- you will wonder if you filled your wine glass at the pump, since it will be tasting like gasoline.

So, we’ll have problems traveling, problems with our homes filling with water- and we won’t be able to drown our sorrows with a good bottle of wine.  Now, that’s a true calamity!

 

It’s still open season!