In the US, if you live near a river or an ocean you probably live near a project built and possibly maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. If you live near a river or an ocean you probably also can expect to see threats from floods, storm surges, and sea level rise. One response has been to simply build higher seawalls, dikes, levies, and dams. Technically that is possible, though not as simple as many expect. Realistically, even maintaining the existing infrastructure is an issue. Most of the protections are more than fifty years old. The dams are enough of an issue even without the other defenses.
In its 2009 climate risk study of its dams, the Army Corps classified 100 of them as being at high risk of failure during floods and other extreme weather, with the vulnerability of 219 more considered of “moderate urgency.” Shoring up those dams would cost more than $23 billion, but since 2009, Congress has provided the Army Corps with only $2.5 billion to make modifications on 15 of those dams, according to the GAO.
We may not be spending enough to slow climate change. We’re also not spending enough to defend against it.
(Click on the photo for the link.)
“GAO Report Sees Climate Risks To Army Corps Projects”
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