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Charleston Should Withdraw From Climate Lawsuit
“Reverting to the courthouse to address this critical issue is both irresponsible and reckless … litigation is not governance.”
2 comments
Compare the last 50 years’ worth of data on tidal surge levels in the Charleston Harbor as well as stormwater accumulation to that of Port Royal Sound to the south, and Winyah Bay in Georgetown to the north, and you will find that Charleston’s situation is substantially worse. Do you think that would be the case if this was, in fact, a global issue? How about instead the fact that probably 25,000 acres of forestland have been cut own and developed in the Charleston metro area – which all drains in to Charleston Harbor? When that much land goes from forested land to roads, driveways, building footprints and other imperious surfaces, the amount of surface water runoff skyrockets. But no-one wants to face that, because that would require accepting local personal responsibility. Deforestation directly causes more flooding.
The seawall at the battery dates back to the 1700s and was originally built on what amounts to an oyster bar (it was originally known as Oyster Point). Charleston itself has a mean height of 20 feet above sea level and as development continues, it is actually subsiding as the weight of infrastructure pushes down on what is essentially a plastic bearing strata. Larger buildings are now required to sink footings prohibitively deep to deal with the poor bearing strata. Charleston receives 4 feet of rain on a yearly average and the vast amounts of paved surface wind up directing that runoff into low-lying places (never drive around the VA/MUSC area during/immediately after a rain). Charleston is building its way to its own demise. Pictures of the seawall in 1861 at low tide are almost identical to pictures today and we know that the seawall has subsided. Charleston can’t sue (or develop) its way out of the mess that it’s in.