“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”
That’s a line from the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of scientists and economists around the globe who contribute to a regular update on the climate crisis.
The latest trifecta of storms that have nailed the Island is hitting home that the climate is only getting less ideal for our way of life. And while the Vineyard isn’t going to bring the global carbon emissions down singlehandedly, we can learn to better adapt.
Two spots on the Island during the recent storm are perfect metaphors for where we’re at: South Beach and downtown Vineyard Haven.
For downtown Tisbury, we experienced it firsthand: The MV Times’ bottom floor on Beach Road was flooded with ankle-deep water; a dozen or so cars stalled trying to traverse the area; businesses had to close; Stop & Shop, seen on both Island papers, had to build a barricade of sandbags. And while flooding in the area is a decades-old problem, three times in a matter of weeks is something new. It’s an inconvenience at best, and a safety hazard at worst.
The state is in the midst of two studies for improvements in downtown Vineyard Haven that have the opportunity to improve conditions. One is a road safety study; the other — while it doesn’t, strangely, include redesigning a drainage outflow pipe near Five Corners — is for improved drainage downtown. As voiced by Tisbury’s administration last week, we encourage the state to speed up these studies, and start building sooner than later. With more and more intense storms, we can’t have major arteries that are below sea level.
South Beach is the other area of town walloped over the past two months. Dunes on the beach were decimated; a section of Atlantic Drive collapsed.
It’s unclear at our editorial deadline what town and state officials will do to make changes in these popular summertime destinations, but we encourage those involved to think about a changing climate. Do we want to build the same road at South Beach, which will crumble again in the next storm? Should the town consider retreating from the coast? Can Tisbury consider raising Five Corners?
These are tough questions. We’re living in unprecedented times, and not everyone will like the answers. But as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns, things are going to get worse before they get better, and that’s only if the globe is able to curb emissions.
Ideally, this is a time to build back better and stronger.
