Should-Read: Charlie Stross: Houston: what are the long-term consequences?

Should-Read: Charlie Stross: Houston: what are the long-term consequences?: “I’m interested in chewing over… the effect of losing a major city… to a weather event that is already the worst in 800 years… http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2017/08/houston-what-are-the-long-term.html

…(with, potentially, worse to come) and flooding due to rainfall that will almost certainly exceed 100 centimetres in a week. What happens next? Lessons in flood defenses and disaster mitigation? Changes to urban planning regimes? A major economic crisis…. Houston’s economy [has] a[n annual] GDP on the order of $450Bn). Mass homelessness and destitution is a no-brainer: is this also going to destabilize the secondary insurance markets? What are the global consequences, outside the USA? Tell me what happens next. Let’s compare notes.

dpb: In the short term I expect a very well funded (dis)information campaign to ensure that everyone knows that summer storms have ABSOLUTLY NOTHING to do with increasing temperatures. There are no ice caps in Texas etc. Longer term we have had New Orleans, now Houston. Traditionally it takes a third event for people to take note…

August 30, 2017

AUTHORS:

Brad DeLong
Connect with us!

Explore the Equitable Growth network of experts around the country and get answers to today's most pressing questions!

Get in Touch