The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a report on the dangers that climate change pose to our cultural resources. The report is summarized here - History Under Water: Climate Change Imperils Historic, Cultural Sites. It's another example of the social cost of carbon (SCC). We could
put some dollar estimates on this, from the lost National Park jobs and local
economic dollars that flow from visitors (Mesa Verda had over a half million
visitors in 2011) to the money required to repair, relocate and/or protect
existing sites. But there’s another impact that’s much more difficult to assign
a dollar value to. These sites help define, display and educate regarding our local,
regional and collective national identities. Through the stories, landscapes
and artifacts associated with these sites they help us remember where we came
from, what mistakes not to repeat and the best part of our collective selves to
pass along to future generations. Without them, it becomes that much easier to
forget the what, why and how of who we were – the good and the bad. The loss of
existing and undiscovered sites also represents a loss of future discovery as
archaeological and other associated methods advance. And of course this same
story applies globally. Follow the link to the actual Union of Concerned
Scientists’ report and you’ll find a take action link for contacting your
senators.
As an aside, the article reports that our National Parks
have $11 billion dollars of deferred maintenance needs now, without even
accounting for the resilience measures necessary to address the impacts of
climate change. Our schools have $271 billion dollars of deferred maintenance
just to get them back up to minimum standards. To actually modernize our schools
would require $542 billion. Our drinking water infrastructure – $1 trillion+. Our
bridges - $20.5 billion annually spent
through 2028. And the list goes on and on relative to our national
infrastructure. Plus there’s over $500 billion dollars of work out there to
improve building energy efficiency, representing $130 billion dollars of
savings annually in energy costs. A vast untapped reserve of jobs and economic boost
is out there and energy efficiency itself represents a major wedge for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. But we don’t seem to have the political will to do
it. And in the meantime our infrastructure and cultural resources will continue
to deteriorate, more rapidly with worsening climate change impacts, and with major
ramifications to our safety, economy and national identity.
