US lags on plans for climate change - Boston Globe

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Source: Boston Globe

THE 45TH PARALELL | WARMING WHERE WE LIVE

US lags on plans for climate change

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff | April 5, 2007

This is the third in a series of occasional articles examining climate
change, its effects, and possible solutions.

Countries and cities around the world are beginning to use a new strategy to
confront climate change: preparing for its consequences.

-snip-

But the United States is lagging well behind. Only a handful of cities or states
have begun projects or adopted regulations to accommodate higher temperatures,
changing precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and longer growing seasons.

If fairly conservative climate projections hold true for Boston, global warming will
raise sea levels enough by the end of the century that Boston Harbor will flood
parts of East Boston and the downtown Financial District during a typical winter
northeaster. South Boston, Back Bay, and Cambridge would also probably flood
during a category 2 hurricane, according to simulations produced for the Globe
by a computer modeling consultant. Yet, the region has no plan to deal with
flooding of that magnitude.

-snip-

Until recently, there has been little discussion of climate change adaptation in the
United States, primarily because the federal government was reluctant to even
acknowledge manmade warming, climate policy experts say. Also, environmental
groups did not talk about adaptation because they believed it would weaken the
focus on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/05/us_lags_on_plans_for_climate_change