D.C. consultant, retired admiral says coastal infrastructure a key to adapting to climate change

A retired U.S. Navy admiral and climate change consultant said that while sea level rise and stronger hurricanes are on the horizon, science, education and innovation will be able to help people adapt to a new world. 

Rear Adm. Jonathan White spoke in front of the Growing Climate Solutions group Wednesday, saying that not everything related to climate change will be bad. 

“In D.C. you hear about ‘everything is on the brink’ and ‘we’re falling apart,’” said White, president and CEO of Consortium for Ocean Leadership. “It’s an area of great concern but I don’t think it’s all gloom and doom.” 

By the way:Boaters’ cleanup is latest citizen-led effort to help improve water quality

He said weather is changing, natural disasters are becoming more common and that the consequences are lost lives and billions in damages. 

“The high-cost events are hurricanes,” White said. “The fires, the floods, the droughts. We track those and we need to understand that and plan for that as well. Over the last 20 to 40 years things have been changing in terms of lives lost and costs.”

Sea levels are rising at the same time that overall temperatures are climbing. 

“We’ve seen the planet warming, and we’ve measured in Hawaii for a long time now the overall concentration of carbon dioxide,” he said. “And you see it going up at about the same rate (as overall temperatures and sea level rise).” 

More than 140 people registered for the online presentation, and one of the viewers asked what various arms of the military are doing to prepare for a changing climate. 

White said Florida, Texas and Louisiana were the three states most impacted by billion-dollar weather events between 1980 and 2020. 

“The ocean is warming, sea levels are rising, we’re seeing species go extinct and we’re seeing invasive species come in,” White said. “We’re seeing acidification and harmful algal blooms and lots of toxins and fertilizers.”

White said coastal infrastructure is one of the nation’s weak points, and that moving Air Force bases and Army barracks will be required as people retreat from rising seas. 

“The military has to be ready to respond to so many things,” he said. “There are catastrophes around the world, and can they even get where they need to be? If there is a delay in anything, it has cascading impacts.” 

In other news:

• Wading bird season coming to a peak
• Part of Lee may end up in Big Cypress Basin
• Judge rules against Lee County, San Carlos Island developer

Van Williams, chair of the board of directors at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said he enjoyed the presentation and that White’s experience gave governmental insight to the group. 

“He’s got a huge amount of information on every topic, and I thought he covered the ground very thoroughly,” Williams said. “And there are at least some areas of the government that are finally awakening to these challenges. 

Williams pointed to seasonally high tides flooding waters along parts of coastal Collier as proof that changes are taking place. 

“Climate change is not a crisis,” Williams said. “We’re not all going to be suddenly knee-deep in water. This a long-term thing. You talk about periods of 80 years, and people have a hard time understanding that.” 

“It’s going to be a gradual learning experience for everyone,” Williams said. “(Climate change) is happening; and it is inevitable that the ice is going to melt. But even in the worst of circumstances, it’s going to take several decades, and we just have to learn how to adapt.” 

The answers to various climate questions, White said, will lead to adaptations and solutions that no one has imagined at this point. 

“It comes through knowledge, scientific research and education,” White said. 

Connect with this reporter: @ChadEugene on Twitter.