Anthropogenic Global Warming ... how hot is it ?

Shiftless2 said:

"The tension is between climate change and human nature" ... "I'd love to wish the tension away, but I can't." Paul #299

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Shiftless2 said:

"and puts the nation's truly cataclysmic events — those that erase entire communities in a blink — in a category all their own." Kevin #300

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"Cataclysmic" it is for those communities built with designs fundamentally inadequate for their locations.
Defending your histrionic rhetoric on basis of ambiguity undermines your credibility, and dis-serves your ostensible cause.

Shiftless2 said:

"Another question that has loomed large: As the region tries to move forward, will politics get in the way?" Kevin #300

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Indeed.
Politicians can help.
Politicians can hinder.
In this case as in so many others, they'll do both. And each will earn votes for it.
Welcome to politics.

sear said:

California wildfires: At least 10 dead, more than 10,000 buildings destroyed

View attachment 774 View attachment 775 #294

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This evenings CBS News addressed this building codes issue:

"This home in Los Angeles, the only one still standing in this neighborhood follows similar building principles." But:

It $costs more. *
source: CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell

By Microsoft Win10's math a $quarter $million dollar home + $7% adds ~$18 $thousand to the cost of the home.
With a 25 year mortgage the increase in monthly payment is little more than pocket change.
If that's out of reach for a prospective home owner then they can find a nice comfy apartment.

... and BTW -



ABC WNT reports this home survived the fire, but succumbed to a landslide from water dumped on the fire.

We needn't scurry out and invent geology. Been there, done that.
Unstable terrain simply isn't viable for such architecture, and should not be permitted.

Before I built my home, the prospective building site needed to pass a "perc test" before the building permit was issued.

This is all Trump-scale silliness. It all results, is the direct consequence of ignoring the obvious, the inevitable, and then crying disaster when it occurs.

Sober up left coast. Those that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. If you don't want your house to burn down don't build it out of fire wood.

Speaking of where people should and should not build it's not just fire that's a potential issue -

US Flood Zones Unintentionally Drive Development in Flood-Prone Areas​

U.S. flood management efforts are inadvertently driving development into vulnerable areas just outside regulatory flood zones, thereby increasing the nation’s exposure to flood risks, according to a new study. This trend, coupled with climate-driven intensification of flooding events, poses significant challenges for local governments, insurers, and emergency management agencies.

An analysis of development patterns across 2,330 U.S. counties has revealed that nearly 24% of all developed land is concentrated within 250 meters of designated 100-year floodplains. This concentration of infrastructure and population in areas adjacent to high-risk zones raises serious questions about the effectiveness of current flood management strategies, according to the study’s authors from North Carolina State University’s Center for Geospatial Analysis.

The pattern of development clustering near floodplain boundaries reflects a delicate balance between the desire for proximity to water bodies and the avoidance of officially designated high-risk areas. While properties within the 100-year floodplain are subject to stricter building requirements and mandatory flood insurance, those just beyond the boundary often escape such regulations. This creates a false sense of security for residents and businesses in these adjacent areas, potentially leaving them unprepared for flood events that exceed official risk designations.

The implications of this development trend extend beyond individual property risks. As climate change intensifies the ....

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It's important to note that this is just the insured losses - total losses will be much higher.

And while the article points out that earlier estimates were $10-$15 billion my suspicion is that CoreLogic's estimate will still prove to be low

LA wildfires: CoreLogic initial insured loss estimate is $35bn to $45bn​

CoreLogic, the risk modelling and catastrophe data company, has provided an initial estimate for insured losses from the Los Angeles, California wildfires, saying the total is expected to fall in a range from $35 billion to as high as $45 billion.

CoreLogic noted that both of the main wildfires that are burning remained only less than 50% contained as of Thursday afternoon, meaning the final insurance and reinsurance market loss estimates may differ.

In a recent update this afternoon, the California fire authorities said the Palisades fire remains only 22% contained, while the Eaton fire is now 55% contained.

The risk modelling and catastrophe data specialist company said a final insured loss estimate will be provided once the wildfires have been fully contained.

CoreLogic is the first catastrophe risk modeller to issue a public estimate for the potential insurance and reinsurance market financial exposure to the still burning wildfires in California.

The estimate for insurance market losses of between $35 billion and $45 billion is based on CoreLogic’s analysis across residential and commercial exposures for the Eaton and Palisades Fires in Los Angeles, California.

The company explained, “This analysis of insured damage for both residential and commercial properties accounts for both fire and smoke damage as well as demand surge, debris removal, clean up and Additional Living Expenses (ALE). The majority of losses are to ....

Even some cities in Texas sent firefighters ...

Shiftless2 said:

Speaking of where people should and should not build it's not just fire that's a potential issue -

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- amen -

Shiftless2 said:

US Flood Zones Unintentionally Drive Development in Flood-Prone Areas ​

An analysis of development patterns across 2,330 U.S. counties has revealed that nearly 24% of all developed land is concentrated within 250 meters of designated 100-year floodplains. #303

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Government has infantilized us. Instead of providing incentive for us to be more self-reliant, government intrudes ever deeper in citizen's lives. That shouldn't happen.
caveat emptor

"The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits." Thomas Jefferson

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BUT !!
Now that it has intruded, substituted government control for self-control, the least it could do is get it right.

Shiftless2 said:

Even some cities in Texas sent firefighters ...
"Who is the enemy of the people?" #305

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sear may seem parsimonious with sympathy in this case (& others?).
I hope CitizenVoice it more than a venue for sympathy.

My interest is in pragmatism, in policy, in improvement. "Ain't it awful" doesn't solve the problem.

Shiftless2 said:

"Who exactly loves America?" #305

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“Patriotism is the belief your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.” George Bernard Shaw

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I'll settle for humanitarianism. But simple pragmatism requires those that benefit from government expenditure of tax revenue should be the tax payers.