“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
C.S. Lewis
With all the extreme weather events happening around the US and the world, is it just me, or is anyone else wondering what the future could look like? If this thought makes you anxious, I want to give you something to be hopeful about. A community in Florida just gave us a glimpse.
Quick refresher
But first, a quick refresher. We have been releasing CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels since the industrial revolution began. A more recent addition to the problem has been methane. Methane emissions come mostly from oil and natural gas leaks, agriculture, and landfills. Both CO2 and methane trap heat, and are causing the planet to warm at an accelerated rate. Even if we went cold turkey on these emissions today, we would still be dealing with the effects for a while. The faster we get away from fossil fuels, the sooner things will start to improve.
Adaptation
In the meantime, we need to find ways to adapt. One way is to make homes and communities more resilient to storms and other natural disasters. Babcock Ranch, a community in Florida about twelve miles from Ft. Myers, is a perfect example. It was the brainchild of former NFL player, Syd Kitson. Kitson envisioned a neighborhood that would be sustainable, and resilient to storms and the changing climate.
Before any homes went up, a solar farm was constructed, which now provides more than enough power for the 2000 homes that have since been built. Streets were designed to flood so that homes would not, landscaping was strategic, and power and internet lines were buried to reduce the risk of outages.
Residents first moved into Babcock Ranch in 2018. Hurricane Ian was the first test of Kitson’s vision, and it proved to be wildly successful. Residents did not lose power and homes stayed dry. In fact, the community is providing shelter for many people left homeless by Ian.
Envisioning our future
This community is a model of what can be achieved through forward thinking and adaptation. We need to envision the future we want, and start working now to make it happen. The future is bright if we choose to make it so.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.