Local leaders facing global problems

We can start with the usual caveats that no particular activity can be directly linked to global warming. There were hurricanes, floods and deadly diseases long before we started burning fossil fuels, and if we all switched to solar tomorrow those problems wouldn’t disappear.

But we can say with certainty that some calamities become more likely when temperatures start to rise. Storms become more severe, rainfall gets heavier and the state of Connecticut starts issuing warning signs on highways for diseases like Eastern equine encephalitis.

EEE has killed 11 people in the United States this year, including three in Connecticut, in the biggest outbreak since the 1960s. It’s carried by mosquitoes that tend to die off at the season’s first frost. But when the first frost is pushed back by higher temperatures — the nation just had its warmest September on record — the disease has more chance to spread, putting more people in danger. Towns across Connecticut have been canceling evening activities and telling people to stay indoors or douse themselves in bug spray.

Local officials have found themselves tasked with limiting exposure while trying to tamp down panic. To this point, most towns have held off on widespread spraying, which might allay some fears but probably would make little difference in safety. But the issue is likely to come back in the spring.

It’s only one instance where local elected officials find themselves on the front lines of a global calamity. They may not have much power to affect carbon emissions, but they will be tasked with figuring out how to handle its impacts. Any local official who thinks these issues won’t take up huge swaths of their time in coming years is not paying attention.

Coastal communities will bear the brunt. Hurricane Sandy devastated the coastline in 2012, but the state has been spared a direct hit since then. The luck won’t last. And the damage that can be wreaked by minor storms, including those with little or no warning, show how much danger we’re in.

There are multimilliondollar projects up and down the coast trying to protect waterfront land from the next major storm. Milford and West Haven, among others, are raising homes and streets off ground level. Bridgeport has seen a huge influx of federal dollars to pay for a resiliency plan. Municipalities are investing in separating stormwater and sewer systems, so that untreated sewage doesn’t flow into rivers every time it rains heavily.

But there are different philosophies on how to prepare. Towns and cities tend to see fortification as the best plan, with seawalls and jetties to protect vulnerable properties taking priority. When waterfront land brings in the most tax dollars, it can’t be simply abandoned. And when a company wants to build a fossil fuel plant in town, local officials can’t easily turn down the tax windfall, even knowing the global repercussions.

The view from the state level is different. The preferred approach isn’t to abandon the waterfront, but to be more realistic of the costs and dangers associated with continuing to build and rebuild in the same vulnerable areas. It’s arguably a more responsible approach, but also one that’s easier to make when your entire operation doesn’t depend on those property taxes.

It’s not just coastal areas that need to plan. A flash flood last year brought more than 5 inches of rain in two hours to areas of Connecticut, sending rivers over their banks and water into basements, or worse. Flash flooding isn’t new, either. But with every model showing storms will get more severe with heavier rainfall as the climate warms, it’s something we know will happen more frequently in years to come.

There’s always been a divide between what urban and suburban leaders have to worry about. Everyone is concerned about taxes and schools, but while city leaders fret about crime and public safety, suburban issues are more about paving roads and minimizing inconvenience.

As 500year floods turn into semiannual events, the concerns of Bridgeport will start to look a lot like those of Westport. When it comes to climate change, there might not be much they can do to stop it, but mayors and first selectmen will see it’s on them to find a way to live with it.

Hugh Bailey is editorial page editor of the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register. He can be reached at hbailey@hearstmediact.com.