 Energy & Environment |
Energy & Environment |
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Asheville shows even 'climate havens' are vulnerable |
Western North Carolina, and specifically the Asheville area, had been considered a possible refuge from the impacts of climate change, but it is now suffering some of the worst devastation from Hurricane Helene. |
© Jeff Roberson, Associated Press |
The area was dubbed a potential "climate haven" due to its elevation and temperate climates as recently as 2022.
The storm and its aftermath illustrate the damage that can be wrought by just one of the unusually extreme weather events that are becoming magnified by climate change.
"Some of these places, especially at higher elevation, it's not too hot, you're far from the coast … places like Asheville have a lot of appeal" as climate refuges, said Margaret Walls, an environmental economist and a senior fellow at the nonprofit Resources for the Future.
However, she said, in the mountains "the terrain makes it such that flooding is a problem," and particularly in poverty-stricken areas, "there are a limited number of places people can live so they tend to live in flood prone places."
"From a rainfall perspective, the Appalachian Mountains are woefully unprepared — at the community level, the household level, our infrastructure is not prepared," said Nicolas Zegre, an associate professor of forest hydrology at the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Much of the rain fell on mountain communities with only one or two roads leading in or out, meaning that once they were washed out, it became all but impossible to deliver supplies and relief through overland routes.
"The lesson here is trends matter and there are certain locations that get hit repeatedly, but no place is really immune — every place needs to prepare," she added. And when an area has limited resources — and a limited tax base — to begin with, a disaster at this level makes the rebuilding process even more difficult and complex. Read more at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. |
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
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The Biden administration is putting $1.5 billion toward four electric power projects, including a connection to the Southeast for Texas's isolated grid, it announced Thursday. |
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While volunteering with a friend at the nonprofit, it was sobering to come face-to-face with those in need after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. |
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The damage from Hurricane Helene could total more than $160 billion, and it is already the second-deadliest hurricane in a quarter-century, according to estimates. |
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The Biden administration this week restored Obama-era farmworker protections from pesticides that were rolled back under the Trump administration. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday announced the completion of final efforts to remove the state's massive and controversial Klamath dams. |
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News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: |
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Trump initially refused to give California wildfire aid because it's a blue state, ex-aide says (E&E News) Three Mile Island owner seeks taxpayer backing for Microsoft AI deal (The Washington Post) Helene Knocked Out a Key Facility for Monitoring the Global Climate (The New York Times)
- How the 'Frida Kahlo of environmental geopolitics' is lighting a fire under big oil (The Guardian)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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| A Colorado county clerk was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday after spearheading a data breach scheme in the 2020 presidential election. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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