Climate Change Is Sum of Many Parts

Elizabeth Durkee Thursday, October 23 2014 - 2:33pm

<p>Now is a perfect time for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to “articulate its mission and reconsider its priorities.” To take it a step further, it is time for the commission to prioritize its planning under the umbrella of climate change.</p>

I completely agree with the Gazette’s Oct. 9 editorial (The Commission in Transition). Now is a perfect time for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to “articulate its mission and reconsider its priorities.” To take it a step further, it is time for the commission to prioritize its planning under the umbrella of climate change.

Climate change is the most critical issue facing the Island. And, as our regional planning agency, the commission has a responsibility to aggressively address its short and long-term impacts. Just about every issue facing the commission is affected by climate change: coastal planning, transportation, water quality and fishing, farming, health care, invasive species management, and, of course, the economy.

The variety of shorelines that ring the Island — beaches, banks, dunes, seawalls and revetments — are all affected by erosion, storm surge, flooding and sea level rise, which is expected to be three to four times higher on the eastern coast of the United States than the global average. What will our coast look like in 10, 30, or 70 years? What can we do to protect the beaches that are critical to the Island economy?

Coastal roads are at risk of flooding and wash-outs, including bus routes, hospital routes and scenic vistas such as East Chop Drive atop the East Chop bluff. Beach Road is frequently flooded in storms. Sea level rise will swallow the ferry dock on Chappaquiddick. Should we be planning to raise coastal roads? Study the impacts of increased traffic on inland roads when low-lying roads are damaged indefinitely by storms or lost completely?

Increased ocean acidification is weakening the shells of our native shellfish. Stronger rainstorms rush polluted runoff into the ponds. The fishing industry is in a flux as historic fish species move north to colder waters and southern species migrate to our fishing grounds.

How will increased temperatures, stronger rain storms and prolonged drought affect Island farmers?

Is the Island medical community addressing the expected increases in heat-related illness, worsening allergy and asthma symptoms, mold-induced illness as flooding of homes becomes more common?

Invasive species are crowding out well-adapted native plants and creating monocultures. This affects food sources and habitat for wildlife. What species do we attempt to control? Are chemical treatments acceptable? Phragmites overpower native plants but also help control nitrogen in the ponds — what is an effective management plan?

The beaches and natural beauty of the Island are the keys to our economy, the reason people spend extra money to live on and visit this slice of land in the sea. How do we decide what to protect? What should be left to fate? How do we pay for storm-related clean-up and repairs? Where do we find the billions of dollars required to preserve shorelines and roads? And what about the millions in lost taxes as coastal homes give way to the sea?

The town of Oak Bluffs has been granted Community Preservation Act funds for a Coastal Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan. State-of-the-art computer modeling will be used to assess the risks of climate change on our coast. Based on the results, specific plans will be recommended to address the impacts. Such a study is considered a priority for successful climate change planning. This needs to be done Islandwide. It is a perfect example of the need for regional planning.

A change in leadership is a time for both reflection and action. Climate change is a critical challenge to our natural environment, human health, and the economy. It can’t be addressed in pieces — coastal planning here, transportation there. It’s all connected. We need a strong, coordinated, Islandwide approach to climate change planning and advocacy. The commission has the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the charge.

Elizabeth Durkee is the Oak Bluffs conservation agent, a member of the board of directors for the Vineyard Conservation Society and a member of the advisory committee for 350 MVI . She lives in Oak Bluffs.

Comments

Thank you Liz for this bold,

Mas Kimball Oak Bluffs

Thank you Liz for this bold, unswervingly clear and comprehensive stand on the need to hold climate change a foremost priority. As the Martha's Vineyard Commission begins the process of selecting a new executive director, it is the perfect opportunity for the MVC to select someone who will step up and lead a coordinated effort of all island groups as we confront the very critical, all consuming issue of Climate Change.

South Florida wants to secede

zelda gamson chilmark

South Florida wants to secede from the rest of the state. Why? Because the northern part of the state won't take their problems seriously, as they become increasingly endangered by rising seas, storms and the like. What about Martha's Vineyard? We are just as vulnerable and rather than secede from anything, we need to to squarely face how WE will deal with climate change. As our regional planning agency, the MVC is the address for doing this. The selection of the new head of the MVC provides the occasion for taking our climate future seriously. Candidates for the position should demonstrate experience with and commitment to addressing climate change.

As a teacher of Environmental

Louis Hall Tisbury

As a teacher of Environmental Science, I deal with the all too often debated idea of Climate Change often. When I speak with my students about the issue I make sure to defuse the controversy by explaining that climate change is the end results of a plethora of compounding issues that all need to be reflected upon and dealt with regardless of our climates state. We, as a community, must face pollution, ocean acidification, sea level rise, habitat and biodiversity loss, rising fuel costs, etc., whether we like it or not. We can consider them collectively as contributing factors of climate change or as individual issues, but in the long run they must be faced. The issues that the MVC and islanders face will be tough, but they must be met with open mindedness and foresight. I hope that we, as an island community, can act as leaders and can be seen as an example of resilient communities that plan for the many changes ahead.

It would be wise for the MVC

Tristan Israel Tisbury

It would be wise for the MVC to have some people from the public engaged in their

It would be wise if the MVC added some kind of public component to their selection process in choosing a new director. Thank you Liz for your thoughtful commentary.

Related to the participatory

CHRIS RIGER West Tisbury, MA

Related to the participatory process set in motion recently by Tisbury towards creating a community vision for the future of the town, this search for a new MVC navigator will be a boon to our island if it does indeed become a broad public participatory process, as Mr. Israel recommends and as Elizabeth Durkee calls for in her courageous Vineyard Gazette commentary. In it the long time Oak Bluffs conservation agent states flatly that, "Climate change is the most critical issue facing the Island." Looking at all the facts and what they indicate, no other issue fits that description - and looking at all the facets of this island community and community members that are at risk, mentioned in her brief assessment of the challenge, Ms. Durkee's suggestion that the MVC might 'take the opportunity and the responsibility to lead' could be accepted starting with support for broad public input that contributes to a successful search process.

Thank you Liz for your

Nicola Blake West Tisbury

Thank you Liz for your leadership in Oak Bluffs and for calling for Islandwide consideration and assessment of the threat to our environment posed by climate change.

As a research Atmospheric Scientist for the past 26 years I have been aware for a very long time that climate change was an inevitable consequence of the unchecked rise in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. However, the fact that we already are undeniably seeing the effects of climate change over and above the natural (and considerable) variability of the climate system has shocked me.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about the exact consequences of climate change on particularly vulnerable locations such as this island. It is precisely this uncertainty that worries me the most. For this reason I applaud and absolutely support any efforts to assess, plan for and address short-term and long-term impacts of climate change as a very high priority for all towns on this island, not just Oak Bluffs.

It is my understanding that the MVC are well placed to provide exactly the type of leadership and coordination that are crucial to deal with the challenges ahead and I look forward to a Commission that is strongly committed to prioritizing this issue that affects us all.
Nicola Blake, Ph.D.

Bravo to Ms. Durkee for such

Ann Rosenkranz West Tisbury

Bravo to Ms. Durkee for such a thoughtful synthesis of the myriad considerations this Island community must move forward with as we confront climate chaos! I second her clarion call for what has become a critical necessity - regional planning. As our beloved island begins to endure the challenges that will become increasingly prevalent and ever more looming as the ocean level rises and storms increase in frequency and intensity, we all need to become engaged and committed to finding solutions to the problems incurred by global warming's assault on our environment, health and livelihood. Liz Durkee's list of considerations that need to be examined and addressed is a fertile starting place for putting our collective heads together in a well organized, circumspect manner in which all dots can be connected and no loose ends escape. As the venerable Mark London steps down, the selection of a successor who prioritizes planning for climate change, would enable a new direction and leadership provided by the MV Commission. With the MVC playing an coordinating role in conjunction with all the other agencies and groups on the Island doing important work in their own spheres of focus, we can effectively and comprehensively plan for and mitigate the significant climate change impacts we face. As Ms. Durkee suggests, "A strong, coordinated, Island approach" is crucial to the success of the gargantuan planning task ahead of us. As a starting point, it would behoove each town to explore and implement an Islandwide Coastal Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan as Oak Bluffs has embarked on. Then together as a united front, all six towns need to work as a team to formulate an interconnected, longterm plan.

Great commentary and I

Susan Kimball Oak Bluffs

Great commentary and I totally agree that the MVC should step up to a leadership position in planning for the future of Martha's Vineyard during the climate changes which are inevitably coming. I may be confused but I thought that Chris Seidel had already studied the effects of rising seas on the shoreline of the whole island producing inundation maps and a video. In this age where a seemingly endless stream of money is spent on studies by a myriad of consultants while there is little or no action taken, I am somewhat disappointed to read that Oak Bluffs is spending CPA funds on yet another study of coastal changes. It seems to me that the models already produced by the MVC could be used and the money would be better spent on planning and mitigation.

Kudos to Ms Durkee for

Jeri Dantzig Vineyard Haven

Kudos to Ms Durkee for addressing a multiple of issues that need to be addressed, in my opinion, immediately on our island. Climate change, or as previously noted, climate chaos, has already shown us significant damage and a glimpse of more to come if not addressed. So many of us have documented and mourned the loss of cliffs on both of our shores; our beloved waterfronts are eroding as well as some of our roads. The health and strength of every area of our island significantly impacts our economy , and the livelihood of all those who make our living here. Climate change and ways for us to attempt to mitigate it's effects locally MUST be on the agenda of the MVC, and we need to use that criteria for the selection of its new director.

Thank you, Liz. Your essay

Bruce Nevin Edgartown

Thank you, Liz. Your essay reads like a checklist of the main breaking points in the fabric of our Island. And yes, the MV Commission must choose a new Director who is ready to take on the huge responsibility of planning for effects of climate change that are only partly predictable.
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As the effects of climate change unfold, the sheep and the goats and the wolves in sheep's clothing will become easier to identify, the people who love this Island, those who love something about being here, and those for whom it is just a money machine. And of course there are those few who deny that it's happening because it contradicts their belief system. I don't know what their animal totem might be. Something stubborn, nearsighted, asocial ("independent"), and verging on extinction because of inability to adapt to a changing environment.
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The wolves are like CitiGroup's bankster CEO, Charles Prince, who in July 2007 said “as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance”. His "dance" was to persist with still more catastrophic leveraged buyouts even as he and all of Wall Street could plainly see the economic collapse of 2008 approaching. He had his parachute ready to cash in and bail out.
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But there's no bailing out from this unless you've got some pals with flying saucers. Not even the inland mountains will be exempt. In the words of the old spiritual, where you gonna run to?
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Natural sources of CO2 are balanced by natural CO2 sinks that sequester the gas. The human contribution since the beginning of industrialization has tipped the balance, the balance is tumbling at a faster and faster rate.
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The biggest single human contributor to atmospheric CO2 is burning fossil fuels (mostly coal) to generate electricity. We can bail out of that. The cost of solar panels to put on your roof is less than a tenth of what it was just a few years ago, and there are companies that will cover that cost and give you free electricity in exchange for leasing your roof space. That's if you don't want to keep the earnings from sales of solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) in your own pocket. With federal and state grants there is every incentive and really no excuse not to cut the cord and live on locally generated power.
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For those who are not allergic to numbers, almost 80% of our electricity in the US is generated by burning fossil fuels, and 87% of human carbon dioxide emissions are from burning fossil fuels. (9% is from deforestation and other changes in land use, and 4% is from industrial processes, notably the manufacture of cement.)
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There are hundreds of other things you can do. Several websites help you calculate your personal and family carbon footprint and highlight changes you can make. (Who knew that switching from red meat to a vegetarian diet has a huge impact?)
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But even if we all get on board with bringing the atmospheric CO2 load back down toward a safe 350ppm we're still going to have to deal with consequences that are now beyond our control. The sea level will rise. As the weight of the icecap melts away on the far side of our tectonic plate the east coast of the US is sinking, adding to the effective change in sea level here. With warmer weather and warmer ocean water, nice as it is right now, storms will be bigger and more frequent, and erosion will bring the beaches ever closer inland. For all these effects and more we need to plan ahead with solutions that are creative and above all flexible, because so many of the ramifications are unpredictable.
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I tell folks that living here is kind of like being on a boat anchored 7 miles off shore that happens to be about 22 miles stem to stern and 7 miles across the beam, in waters tempered by the Gulf Stream. But now the storms are coming, the boat is slowly sinking, and fresh water sinking down from Greenland might stop the conveyor belt of the Gulf Stream. If you thought you were just a passenger with a stateroom or just a berth, you might want to think again, roll up your sleeves, and pitch in. We're all crew here.