[GWSG] Native vs. alien; big things; WEF on recovery; CH4 rising; & coastal flooding; retreat?; a place to go

[Tilley, Al]

1. Stephen Mulkey advises us that the distinction between native and alien species is likely to mislead us if we try to use it to think about how to act in and think about the natural world, and the human as well.  https://environmentalcentury.net/2020/07/14/white-guys-and-aliens/



2. We used to build big things in the US. The climate, and the sorry state of our older big things, demand that we start again. And we are going to have to get faster. We also need to develop foresight—presently we don’t even notice the floods on our doorstep.  https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/01/15/130892/climate-change-green-infrastructure-us-public-works-building-boom/



3. The World Economic Forum projects that a green recovery from covid-19 could create 400 million jobs and $10 trillion in economic value, and that a recovery which does not address ecological imperatives will result in disaster. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/nature-led-coronavirus-recovery-could-create-10tn-a-year-says-wef



4. Methane emissions are rising about 9% a year. More than half come from human activities. Emissions from livestock are almost as great as those from fossil fuels. Europe is the only region with falling emissions.  https://phys.org/news/2020-07-global-methane-emissions-soar-high.html

The rising methane emissions make effective emissions controls yet more difficult and more urgent. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/soaring-methane-emissions-threaten-put-climate-change-goals-out-reach-n1233831



5. Coastal flooding is a growing problem. (Perhaps someone will eventually get around to a sound updated forecast of sea level rise so that we can get an idea of how common it is likely to become. We do know enough to realize that the current rate will only increase. NOAA’s Sweet forecast from 2017 is still the latest word.) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/with-sea-level-rise-high-tide-flooding-spikes-along-u-s-coasts/



6. If your coastal community is coming to the conclusion that it needs to retreat from rising waters, and if you have solved the political problem of getting your local and state government to face the need for a move, Georgetown has a kit that will help you plan. Also handy if you are inland and find that flooding from torrential rains is getting too heavy and frequent to handle.  https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/toolkits/managed-retreat-toolkit/introduction.html?full



7. The Institute for Sustainable Communities can guide you toward the general characteristics of a community you would look forward to inhabiting. https://sustain.org/about/what-is-a-sustainable-community/ The US Green Building Council is a good place to begin planning your new sustainable community on some detail. Find a dead regional mall, airport, golf course, or large development on high land and get busy.  http://plus.usgbc.org/the-next-big-thing/

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