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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

What impact will the sea level rise have on our community?

10 comments:

  1. Sea level rise will have a major impact in the future on several parts of the community including the downtown along the waterfront and residential parts of the City's South End. That's the reason why the City has joined with other communities to begin to look at the issue and determine how we can prepare--which includes looking at development/building options to ensure that the public understands the risks that lie ahead.

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  2. Sea level rise is a looming headache for all low lying areas of the city. We must act now to begin the process of fortifying our valuable and critical infrastructure, future zoning must address this issue, citizens must be made aware of the coming problem. Probably not in my life time will this be a problem, but we must act now before it is too late to appreciate the impact sea level rise will have on our community for future generations

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  3. The rising sea level will have a major impact on our community. It has been stated that with the glaciers melting, in 100 years where the middle school now stand will be underwater.

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  4. Sea level rising will have a major impact on our community. With the glaciers melting, it is estimated that in 100 years, where the middle school now stands, this building and the tennis courts will be underwater.

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  5. We have been proactively building up the seawalls around our waterfront. Although more insulated from the ocean than some of the surrounding communities, we need to consider how the rising tides will affect neighboring properties. The most commonly accepted scenario is that the ocean could rise up to 3 feet in 100 years. That will change the map of Portsmouth. We need to encourage the international communities to accept that we need to make changes in how we treat the earth.

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  6. My thoughts on this are a little outside the box. I’m not convinced that sea levels will rise in an extraordinary fashion. Recent studies show that the earth’s temperature has not been increasing over the past 15 years, despite that the computer modeling says that it should be. If this modeling can’t predict 15 years, am I to believe that it predict out 100 years?

    But, let’s just assume for a moment that temperatures will increase and sea levels will rise. A 3 to 6 foot sea level rise would be catastrophic for the City and there isn’t much we could do to stop or even mitigate it.

    The broader issue here is that you students should be questioning everything. Question what your teachers are saying. Question what I’m saying. As students you are developing critical thinking skills. Just because I present a different view point, don’t reject it out of hand.

    Above all else, do not live your lives in fear. If you investigate and decide I’m wrong, that in fact sea levels will rise, go out and do something. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

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  7. Jim Splaine

    The impact of Climate Change, including sea level rise, will greatly impact Portsmouth. I created "The Portsmouth 2020 Vision Project" in 1991, and the then-City Manager projected that sea rise would become a problem by year 2020. His prediction was a surprise back then, but we know now that it will happen. We need to be sure that our zoning and building decisions are based on that impact.
    Other mitigation includes being cautious where we invest heavily in major costly projects such as sewerage expansion and long-term planning for bridge and road improvements to be sure that any projected sea rise is considered as part of those plans.

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  8. Given that I live at Sea Level. I’m very interested in this topic. The scientist will tell you that it will have some impact but there is a range of what that impact will be. The Rocking County Planning Commission have created Maps that are online. I would encourage you to review them.

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  9. We are in the early stages of thinking systematically about how to incorporate the impacts of more uncertain climate patterns into overall city planning. I feel it’s an issue we need to take seriously as we make other decisions about growth, investment in transportation and infrastructure, and projections for energy use. With Portsmouth’s 400th birthday just ten years off, we should be constantly mindful of the ways in which our decisions today will impact the community’s future. I believe I can help bring the community together to set our priorities and tackle the difficult task of defining what we want to leave behind for those who come after us. Building on our collective admiration and affection for this city, we can preserve, prepare and protect our home now and in the future.

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  10. I do not profess to have any particular expertise in this area, but if this question is a covert way of asking, Do I believe that global warning really exists?, then (with all due respect to former President George W. Bush) my answer is a definite “Yes.” Fortunately, since the sea level is expected to rise at the rate of only three to six feet over the next 100 years, it is rising slowly enough that we have plenty of time to think about it and devise a solution. Scientists are already aware of this phenomenon and of its ramifications, and they are already studying it with a view toward putting together a future plan for dealing with it. It will require far more scientific minds than mine to come up with a solution, and in any event I do not expect to be here 100 years from now to have to deal with it. However, in the short run we must ensure that, as in the case of medical research, the scientific community has sufficient financial support to conduct adequate study and investigation.

    Meanwhile, I’ve already started building my ark, just in case.

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