Watch that next hurricane, super-heated Mother Nature may be angry

Miami used to be swampland. Could it return?

Disaster is waiting at every turn. As a kid, adults say the bad stuff is all in your head. The monster at the end of the hallway, in the basement or around the next turn in the dark alleyway isn't real.

Those kids grow up and may wish for that innocence back. The real world is far more harsh. Dreams of the high school and college graduate are often dashed when many realize their constant toil will never bring any of them closer.

The emerging threat of ecological disaster renders just about all those previous worries inert. What difference does it make if that dream home or job is out of reach when the ocean's expected to rise and wash out coastal communities and Pacific island nations and tear the world economy apart?

Really.

Goodnight Miami Beach

Rolling Stone writer Jeff Goodell takes a novel approach to illustrate the situation. In "Goodbye, Miami," he fast-forwards 17 years to 2030 after Hurricane Milo strikes. "Most of the damage occurred not from the hurricane's 175-mph winds, but from the 24-foot storm surge that overwhelmed the low-lying city," he says.


Miami wouldn't be the only one to feel the wrath of a super-heated Mother Nature. Heck, there might even be increased demand for seasoned reporters, editors and photographers after the devastation begins. Storms that just kill 50 or fewer people would be commonplace. Bridge washout on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash.? No big deal.

But it would have to be recorded. People would want to know. Reporting teams would have to be sent to chronicle the data, collect the live streams and make sense of it all.

Goodell's scenario is quite possible. And as much as it sounds fantastic now, the news of a wiped out Florida coast might even be expected in a couple decades. The stories will get worse, the summers more brutal and the storms extreme in years to come.

The solution is obvious to those leading the cry. Cut down emissions, clean up practices and try to limit the production of carbon monoxide/dioxide. That gas sits below 1 percent of earth's atmosphere, just below argon. But it's production by man continues to rise, alerting many scientists to call for immediate changes.

The group 350.org is so named for the safe level of carbon in parts per million in the air. The group's site now lists that level at 400 ppm and rising.

Making a difference

There are ways individuals can contribute to the fight. One is acceptance. Another is anger. But realistically change can only happen if people are willing to accept it. Young people are likely to be the first adopters, but older folks have the money, power and wherewithal to make immediate change in practices.

Solar is a good idea. More of it makes sense and could power the country if it were combined with other alternatives. But it's costly. The best route, especially for those who have embraced the daily grind and old world order, is through saving money.

The concept is sound. Cut energy bills by adding insulation, power consumption and smarter purchases and habits. Or at least that's what they say.

Carbon production is energy production. Energy means something gets burned to produce power. At least the majority. Alternative energy still makes up just a fraction of this nation's output. Sure it's growing, but not that fast. This means reductions, whether they're from more efficient buildings or vehicles, are an integral component of reversing the trend of global warming.

Alternatives

Lance-Kashian & Co. in Fresno, Calif., the town in which I work, just earned Platinum status a 1 million-square-foot building it manages from the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification rating. The Business Journal said it was the first the community to reach that lofty status of efficiency.

Other building owners and managers are pursuing similar goals. The reason is lower utility bills and overall operating costs. Retrofitting existing buildings is relatively inexpensive, and the costs for designing efficient new buildings can tack on a measly 10 percent or less. Return on investment is immediate.

The California Air Resources Board ratcheted up its air quality standards for heavy-duty trucks -- also known as semi-trucks -- so that nearly everything on the road will meet 2007 level emission standards by the end of the year. One truck salesman I spoke with recently said the even cleaner 2010-level engines pollute so little "they literally clean the air."

Will those measures be enough? Will people figure out cheaper ways to produce alternative energy? Can a spoonful of sugar make the medicine go down?

Who knows? I'd just hate to read that story about Miami. It would be especially terrible if it came sooner.