Cities across the United States will soon have to put their mouths where their money is as far as climate change and related problems like sea level rise are concerned. At least that’s the message from Moody’s, a major bond rating agency that explained late last month how it’s going to factor climate preparedness into municipal credit.
Among the top factors are “the share of economic activity that comes from coastal areas, hurricane and extreme-weather damage as a share of the economy and the share of homes in a flood plain,” according to a recent Bloomberg News report.
The Charleston area scores high on all of those fronts.
Of course it makes sense to weigh climate preparedness when considering a municipal credit rating. Climate related disasters cause billions of dollars of damage nationwide each year. In some cases, including here in the Lowcountry, preparedness for sea level rise is nothing less than essential to survival.
But in terms of planning, the cities and towns of the Charleston area vary widely.
The city of Charleston leads the pack. It has a detailed Sea Level Rise Strategy, with an update scheduled to be released early next year. And the city’s chief resiliency officer, Mark Wilbert, who oversees sea level and climate related problems, will have a full-time role in that position for the first time next year.
“Adaptation starts with awareness,” explained Mr. Wilbert in an interview this summer. “The city is doing a good job of acknowledging the problem.”
North Charleston doesn’t have a specific climate or sea level plan, although impacts from flooding and storms are handled by city officials with the public works and emergency management departments.
“Our emergency operations plan deals with a lot of that right now,” said Butch Barfield, the city emergency preparedness coordinator. “I’ve looked into the eyes of people whose houses have flooded and seen that pain and know that we need to be doing something.”
Two major studies -- one of which was recently completed and the other is due in early 2018 -- will help North Charleston better understand how to mitigate stormwater issues in the worst problem areas.
Mount Pleasant’s comprehensive plan mentions climate change and sea level, but mostly in the context of preserving the natural environment and improving drainage.
The town of Kiawah Island has a sea level rise subcommittee. Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island offer residents lots of information about flooding preparedness but don’t make much mention of sea level rise or climate change in municipal documents.
Folly Beach has a sea level rise strategy that rivals Charleston’s. Its 34 pages cover everything from drinking water to drainage to transportation infrastructure.
Of course, the best plans in the world are useless without action.
Every city and town in the Charleston area should be planning -- and acting -- to address sea level rise and climate change now. The problems are already more than apparent. Tropical Storm Irma offered the third example in three years of what happens when severe weather combines with problematic tides.
And the situation is only going to get worse. Moody’s is right to acknowledge that reality and push municipalities in the direction of preparedness. The Charleston area should take note.
