NEW ORLEANS (AP). In 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped more that 50 inches of rain along parts of the Texas coast. Then, in 2020, hurricane Laura unleashed ferocious winds that decimated homes all along the Louisiana coast. Hurricane Ida struck in 2021, causing New Orleans to be without power for several days.
Extreme weather is becoming more common. That’s just one of many warnings made by the United Nations for the Gulf of Mexico in a report released this week. Even if humanity manages to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the region will suffer from rising seas, collapsing fishing fleets, and toxic tides.
“The hurricanes that are experienced, there’s a higher possibility that they can become major hurricanes,” Barry Keim (Louisiana’s state climatologist) said. He agreed with the report’s details about more dangerous weather.
The report, a “atlas on human suffering,” outlines numerous ways that climate change will affect the Gulf. The U.N. report states that the entire U.S. Gulf coast, which includes Florida and Texas, has been severely affected by rising seas due to melting polar caps.
The region is home to major oil and natural gas production in Texas and Louisiana, as well as tourist destinations in Mississippi and Alabama. It tends to be conservative politically. Republican leaders emphasize adaption to climate changes higher roads, sea walls, and preventing saltwater intrusion over broad efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission or promote cleaner energy.
The Republican-led Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday refused to add clean-energy measures in a plan to strengthen the state’s ability to resist flooding and sea level rise. Demi Busatta Cabrera (Royal Democrat) of the Miami Area said that she is trying to do “whatever can be fixed today.”
Democratic Rep. Ben Diamond, who is running to a St. Petersburg-area Congress seat, was disappointed that lawmakers didn’t do more.
He said that improving climate change resilience is good but that it doesn’t mean you can stop the causes of these problems in terms greenhouse gas emissions or carbon emissions. The Florida House bill doesn’t address that.
People looking to get 30-year mortgages are searching for properties and commercial buildings that are less likely to flood. According to the U.N., this trend is evident in Florida’s Miami Dade County where some buyers are avoiding expensive waterfront properties.
FILE-Hector Morales sat on a debris heap near his Mexico Beach home, Fla., which was damaged by Hurricane Michael. Extreme weather is becoming more common. That’s just one of several warnings issued by the United Nations for the Gulf of Mexico region this week. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Streets flood in Miami Beach on sunny days, especially during the King Tides. A report states that the Tampa Bay area is one of the most susceptible areas to storm surges because it is surrounded by shallow waters.
Louisiana is at risk from sea level rise due to the fact that so much of its Mississippi River delta has been sunk by human intervention. Keim stated that the main culprits are the loss sediment from the river’s levees and saltwater intrusion from coastal oil-and-gas development.
Keim stated, “South Louisiana may be the most vulnerable place in the United States to climate change.”
The report warns of other problems in the Gulf. Tourism and fishing industries depend on the healthy habitats off Florida’s coasts. But coral reefs are becoming bleached due to “warming waters interacting with nonclimate stressors”. The report stated that Florida alone could suffer economic losses of $24 billion to $55 trillion by 2100 due to the decline in coral reefs.
The report describes the region’s efforts to adapt to climate changes. Miami-Dade published a strategic sea rise response plan for 2021. It calls to adapt infrastructure, build on higher ground, increase roads, and expand waterfront parks and canas.
Miami Beach has spent more than $500million to install pumps to flush water off the island. However, there are no guarantees that the pumps will be sufficient to keep tourists dry. The city of Miami spends potentially billions of dollars to keep saltwater intrusion from freshwater supplies at bay.
At a recent news conference, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez stated, “The most common question that I get is whether Miami is going be here within 50 years or whether it will be here within 100 years.” “This is the beginning for a comprehensive plan that will answer that question in the positive.”
Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has a plan, according to the U.N. report. It includes dredging for wetlands replenishment and rebuilding storm-damaged barrier islands.
FILE-In this Tuesday August 29, 2017 file photo, people evacuate a Houston neighborhood which was inundated with floodwaters following a release by Addicks Reservoir in Houston. This release occurred after the reservoir reached capacity due to Tropical storm Harvey. Extreme weather is becoming more common. This is just one of the warnings that the United Nations released this week for the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Alex Kolker is an associate professor of coastal geography at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (Comidrie). He noted that Louisiana announced a plan on February 1, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
Experts believe that red tides, which are natural toxic organisms, have become more severe and more frequent because of the warmer air and more water.
The increasing numbers of these outbreaks are threatening the survival of more sea creatures and fish. They also harm the tourism industry by creating a stench on beaches, poor fishing, and possibly causing health problems for people with asthma or other lung conditions.
A University of Florida study found that red tide caused a $184 million loss in tourism revenue between 2017-2019. The warmer water encourages algae blooms caused by pollution from urban, agricultural and other sources. These blooms are becoming more severe along Florida’s coasts, which has resulted in a record number of manatee deaths. Instead of feeding one group starving manatees, the state fed them romaine lettuce.
Tom Reinert, regional director at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, stated that “you can’t just go out and start planting seagrass.”
Anderson reported from St. Petersburg in Florida.
