Politics is local, climate damage is regional: a novel conundrum for allocating federal resources to protect infrastructure and water quality (Sept. 2022)
Politics is local, climate damage is regional: a novel conundrum for allocating federal resources to protect infrastructure and water quality (Sept. 2022)
sustainablefutures.substack.com
Global warming is increasing atmospheric moisture and melting Arctic ice. Both phenomena create unprecedented excess water in many regions. In 2022 there were five domestic “one in 1,000 years” storms, swollen rivers drowning towns from Germany to Kentucky, and faster than expected melting Arctic ice locking in future sea level rise. In addition to community and infrastructure damage, this excessive water threatens public health from exposure to toxic flood water mixtures, additional pollutants to waterways, and damaged drinking water supplies. Excessive water that washes pollutants from industrial sites, developed areas, streets, landfills, and agricultural fields is called nonpoint pollution. A solution to both physical water damage and nonpoint pollution involves slowing, storing, and absorbing water before damage occurs. State and local entities have largely exclusive authority to shape flood-resilient landscapes and reduce nonpoint pollution under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Politics is local, climate damage is regional: a novel conundrum for allocating federal resources to protect infrastructure and water quality (Sept. 2022)
Politics is local, climate damage is…
Politics is local, climate damage is regional: a novel conundrum for allocating federal resources to protect infrastructure and water quality (Sept. 2022)
Global warming is increasing atmospheric moisture and melting Arctic ice. Both phenomena create unprecedented excess water in many regions. In 2022 there were five domestic “one in 1,000 years” storms, swollen rivers drowning towns from Germany to Kentucky, and faster than expected melting Arctic ice locking in future sea level rise. In addition to community and infrastructure damage, this excessive water threatens public health from exposure to toxic flood water mixtures, additional pollutants to waterways, and damaged drinking water supplies. Excessive water that washes pollutants from industrial sites, developed areas, streets, landfills, and agricultural fields is called nonpoint pollution. A solution to both physical water damage and nonpoint pollution involves slowing, storing, and absorbing water before damage occurs. State and local entities have largely exclusive authority to shape flood-resilient landscapes and reduce nonpoint pollution under the Clean Water Act (CWA).