San Francisco and Manila face rising sea levels: Why we cannot count on Trump to help.
According to the New York Times, “the oceans are expected to rise by one to four feet by the end of the century.” The places that are most at risk are the wealthy San Francisco Bay Area, with an estimated population of 7 million, and the poverty-stricken metropolitan Manila, with an estimated population of 14 million.
The New York Times described it best when they said that for both of these places, “Their history, their wealth, and the political and personal choices they make today will shape how they fare as the water inevitably comes to their doorsteps.”
The issue with Manila is that they allowed groundwater to be pumped out so fast that the land sagged and turned into a bowl just as the sea was rising.” The Bay Area “allowed people to build right at the water’s edge, putting homes, highways, even airports at risk of catastrophic flooding.”
The people in both places want “to hold on as the water rises around them.” For San Francisco, the reason is that “their properties are worth a lot, for now, at least.” Manila on the other hand, “has so little that they have nowhere else to go.”
Both places “could adapt to the rising tide, which could mean moving people out of harm’s way. Or, they could try to force the water to adapt to their needs by raising their defenses.”
The New York Times made another critical point that “for leaders, politically tough decisions lie ahead. What do they save on the water’s edge, what do they forsake and how do they reimagine their coastal cities in an age of climate disruptions?”
The reality is that Trump is not the leader we can count on to make these “tough decisions.” Despite the growing scientific evidence that waters are rising and climate change is a real threat, Trump continues to defend his belief that climate change is a hoax. If we re-elect Trump in the next election the dangers of the waters rising will only become worse.
Now is the time to activate your Visual Disobedience and take the pledge to vote against Trump. We especially need the Millennial and Generation Z population, that live in the 5 key states outlined in our campaign, to help overturn the 2016 electoral college result. See our informational electoral college video here:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/KadLbZT3xnM?autoplay=1
We need your involvement against Trump in the swing states to beat him. Let’s flip 38 electoral votes!
Yours Truly,
Jackie T.
Visual Disobedience Campaign consultant
Facts from this blog post primarily from this article in the New York Times
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