Planned Retreat Starting in 2025

"I think maybe the biggest issue, the biggest concern, is what will sea level do in the coming centuries? [Nine meters] is pretty high. I mean, that's going to displace nearly every major mega-city on the planet just about."

- Dr. Mick O'Leary, Marine Geoscientist, Curtin University

This video is really well-done and informative, and you should watch the whole thing, but if you want to fast-forward to what was the essential bombshell for me personally, it comes at about the 10:28 mark. I must admit I had no idea some countries, such as Wales, are already conceding defeat to our crushing fossil fuel addiction, and assuming a do-nothing-meaningful, business-as-usual "response" to what is the most urgent, known threat we face. I don't even know how to process the adoption of such a plan just yet. To some degree, it makes perfect sense, because basically not a single nation capable of making an impactful difference is willing to do so. And time for effective policy has all but run out. On the other hand, it is simply too depressing for words.



I guess I only have one question after viewing this video: where will the 8.4 million people living in New York City relocate?

Oh yeah, and how much exactly will it cost to build this new New York?

Also, since we found out during Katrina that the poorest Americans can't even afford to evacuate temporarily, where will they find the money to permanently move their families and take up new residences elsewhere?

Additionally, what will this new location offer all of them in the way of a livelihood?

Not to mention, how far inland does New New York have to move to escape an eventual 75 meter rise in ocean waters?

Or is the idea to retain its major port city status by keeping it on an ever-changing shoreline, and turn this into a never-ending relocation program?

And what about the nearly 25 million people in Shanghai? Where are they going to go/work? Hong Kong?! With its nearly 7 million inhabitants who will need a new home every bit as much as Shanghai residents?

While we're at it, where do all the tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people in London, Mumbai, Tokyo, Sydney, etc. migrate? And how do they recover some semblance of their previous existence/prosperity?

Hate to harp on matters, but do I need to remind everyone that our cities, their populations, and their economies are not our only concerns here?

I guess I actually want a lot more answers than just one. In fact, the more I consider this "adaptation," or "solution," or whatever unsatisfying label we choose for this strategy, the more I begin to realize that I have veritable shit ton of questions about it.

Don't you?