Boston Waterfront Taking Risks Despite Mother Nature

In Boston, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking that these impacts are 20, 30 years down the road,” said Deanna Moran, director of environmental planning at Boston’s Conservation Law Foundation. “The last couple of nor’easters that we’ve had have made it very clear that these storms are here now. They’re happening more frequently. They’re more severe.”

Moran studies the impact of climate change on Boston real estate, especially all the new development going on at the water’s edge. The water near Boston is warming more quickly than in any part of the U.S., save Alaska, due to Boston’s proximity to the Gulf of Maine, which is the fastest warming body of water on earth, according to NOAA.

“Boston is ahead of the curve in that we’ve been planning for these impacts, pre-disaster, but I wouldn’t say that we’re ahead of the curve in terms of actually doing things on the ground,” Moran added.

We should acknowledge that the risk from climate change will be unevenly distributed as time and place and effects lag behind. Human-caused climate change will increase and young people and those not yet born will most likely pay with a decreased quality of life. We already see a worrying effect and increasingly more people are undernourished in the world as food production gets hit by extreme weather and food distribution is unfair.As heat waves intensify, access to air conditioning can mean life or death for the elderly, infants and children and the infirm. Nature doesn’t care what we think or do about climate change. As long as we keep ignoring the signs, extracting and burning fossil fuels, the risks to human health and disasters will be more intense and rage more frequently and violently. This is what we mean by the perils of the climate crisis.Guilt by association is a bitch if you are working for or are depending on the oil industry. But if the alternative is a slow and painful death we may reconsider turning our blind eye on facts and climate warning signals.

Temperatures have been climbing steadily for the last few years all over the globe, toppling records that were set a half-century ago or more in some areas, according to the United Nations the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.With heat waves becoming hotter, longer and more frequent,Access to air conditioning and the energy to power it is fast becoming a question of survival. Listening to politicians who are owned by those who profit from your refusal to embrace free and cheap renewable options that ensure your access to Air conditioning will have a bearing on you and your families longevity and health in the very near future. You can rest assured that mother nature will have no respite or response to your need to cool down.

Some people have a higher tolerance when it comes to their idea of what is hot. For those who live near the equator hot could be 90 degrees, whereas someone further north might think 70 degrees is hot. A lot of people think of AC as a comfort or luxury item, which it can be. But for some people, it is a matter of life or death.

In some regions of the world like Death Valley, California which has a record temperature of 56.7 (134°F) degrees or Aziziyah, Libya in which the temperature generally gets above 48°C (118°F) degrees in summer it is hard to live. Before air conditioning, humans survived high heat and humidity with protective shelters and limited their activity during the hottest parts of the day. Needing to stay in the shade and not work during the day limits the time they had to do various chores during the day and before the internet that could mean isolation for those who could not stand the heat. Though that is something people consider a comfort issue it also includes health issues.Areas of the planet where understanding the dangers of heat is ingrained in the culture will have an advantage over those who have little experience with extreme heat. They may not even be aware they are about to die in an extreme heat situation.

Some people have a higher tolerance when it comes to their idea of what is hot. For those who live near the equator, it could be 90 degrees, whereas someone further north might think 75 degrees is hot. A lot of people think of AC as a comfort or luxury item, which it can be. But for some people, it is a matter of life or death.

Before air conditioning, humans survived high heat and humidity with protective shelters and limited their activity during the hottest parts of the day. Needing to stay in the shade and not work during the day limits the time they had to do various chores during the day and before the internet that could mean isolation for those who could not stand the heat. Though that is something people consider a comfort issue it also includes health issues.

Medical issues like heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration are some of the physical effects the heat can have on your body. It can even lead to extreme ailments like organ failure and possibly death in those in poor condition. Other health conditions that may need air conditioning include patients who can’t control their body temperature well like infants, the elderly, burn victims, and others. Some parts of Europe and the US are facing up to a 15% decline in work hours because of heat stress, many people are opting to work from home rather than risk health dealing with extreme weather and disease.

In some areas of the world, including the City of Boston, government programs have sought to build public cooling centers for those without a device of their own. If there were no air conditioning in business, some people would go out of business because of how hot it is during business hours meaning not only could the employees not work but customers wouldn’t want to visit either. Air-conditioning makes it possible to create the centers that power businesses, the internet, and research. Boosting comfort in a commercial or business setting also increases productivity and reduces absenteeism. Overall air conditioning in business settings is sometimes crucial for the company itself. If it weren't for man made climate change at the current rate of solar brightening—just over 1% every 100 million years—Earth would suffer this "runaway greenhouse" in 600 million to 700 million years. Earth will suffer some preliminary effects leading up to that, too.