STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
What if Atlantis wasn't a myth but an early precursor to a new age of great flooding?
That's the premise behind Rolling Stones contributing editor Jeff Goodell's new book, "The Water Will Come," due out Oct. 24.
"The water will come. The question is how high and how fast," Goodell told more than 200 people attending the 3rd annual Sun Valley Forum organized by the Sun Valley Institute this week at the Limelight Hotel.
Goodell had finished the book only a few days before. And he gave the Sun Valley crowd first peek.
"There's a lot of climate change in store. Big changes are going to happen no matter what we do. This is a global thing and it's not just about what happens here...and in New York. We're all in this together,” he said.
Goodell said he became interested in the plight of rising ocean waters when he saw the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The water receded in hours.
"But what happens if the water doesn't go away?" he wondered.
He was convinced it was a subject that deserved to be addressed when he found himself walking in water up to his knees on Miami Beach where rock stars had $10 million homes.
"It’s apparent Miami's in big trouble," he said.
The flooding of coastal cities is not going to be stopped, Goodell said. We can slow it but we will see rising seas for the next couple of centuries. And some experts predict it could go as high as 13 feet.
It's going to become a big problem long before cities turn into a modern-day Atlantis, as dirty water from septic tanks fills streets and drinking water is compromised, Goodell warned. Already, there's a nuclear power plant taking on water 15 miles south of Miami in a state where the governor doesn't want to admit climate change is happening, he added.
And the Miami airport is going to have to be moved in the next 20 years, he predicted.
Billions of dollars will be spent in adaptation and protection. But the only real answer will be to retreat to Idaho, Goodell said, only half quipping.
A century ago Chicago raised its buildings and water pipes eight feet after the city realized it had built too close to Lake Michigan. But the costs are huge, Goodell said.
New York is building a giant wall estimated to cost up to $7 billion around Manhattan Island. But Venice has had nothing but problems with its $3 billion wall, he pointed out.
“A new vision of living will happen. They have to learn to live with water. You will have to learn to live without water,” Goodell told the audience.
Goodell said to expect a massive Dust-Bowl-like migration as U.S. residents abandon both coastlines. Already, realtors are selling property with elevation in mind. Those with money will rebuild. The poor will be trapped.
“There will be a real divider of rich and poor,” Goodell said. “And Miami Beach will do better than cities like Sweetwater, Fla.”
ABOUT JEFF GOODELL:
Jeff Goodell, who tends to focus on energy and environmental issues, wrote “Sunnyvale,” a personal memoir about growing up in Silicon Valley; “The Cyberthief and the Samurai,” the story of computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, and “Our Story: 77 Hours that Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith,” about the rescue of nine trapped coal miners in Pennsylvania--a New York Times Best Seller.
He also has written “Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future” and “How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth’s Climate.”