In a perilous sign of how one crisis (COVID-19) will exacerbate another (climate change), The New York Times reports that the financial pressure brought on by the ongoing pandemic is forcing local governments across the country to divert major funds that had been set aside for projects to mitigate the impact of climate change disasters.
Christopher Flavelle reports:
Officials in San Francisco, Miami Beach and New York City have said they are likely to delay climate-related projects like sea walls because of the virus, which has slashed tax revenue and increased demands for emergency services, housing and other immediate needs. Washington State has cut funding for resilience projects, and people who work on climate adaptation in other cities and states said they worried about similar cuts.
The delays, which officials described as a necessary response to the fiscal straits that many cities are experiencing, come as the cost of natural disasters continue to rise. That threat remains every bit as urgent as it was before the pandemic, experts warned, even if climate change is not in the forefront of the public’s attention.
It’s clear that the climate crisis will not wait for the pandemic to be over. As the country approaches flood and hurricane seasons amid an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, protecting communities from more frequent and damaging climate disasters will be more challenging (and expensive) than ever.
In these challenging times for local budgets, it is absolutely vital to ensure that climate polluters, and not cash-strapped taxpayers alone, pay their fair share of the cost.
Image by Dave R on flickr.