or
Join Now!
|
|
Home/Government/Politics
|
| Forum |
Ask A Question |
Question Board |
FAQs |
Search |
Return to Question Board
| Question Details |
Asked By |
Asked On |
| Will global warming swamp new stadium? |
Itsdb |
02/05/07 |
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Monday, February 5, 2007
Everyone figures that nightmarish traffic jams are the worst problem the Oakland A's will face if they move to the bayfront wilds of Fremont. But their biggest challenge may be something they hadn't thought of -- global warming.
The A's want to build their ballpark and mall village on low-lying land west of Interstate 880, less than half a mile from a tidal channel. With ocean levels expected to rise as the globe heats up, the high tides that churn up that channel could turn the A's ballpark into prime waterfront property -- or into soup.
"You are talking about a meter rise of the sea level by the end of the century (around the bay),'' said Will Travis, executive director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, which helps regulate shoreline construction.
Local effects of the rising waters were the subject of a global warming conference this past week at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center, hosted by the city's Public Utilities Commission. San Francisco and Oakland airports will be under water if no protective steps are taken, and areas of Silicon Valley that now are near the bay could "look like the Lost City of Atlantis" by 2100, in Travis' words.
It was widely reported that the Giants' AT&T Park could be vulnerable, but what hasn't been noticed is that the same rising tide could turn the A's Field of Dreams into Field and Stream.
The team and its fans don't have to wait decades to notice the changes along the local shoreline, Travis says -- they're already starting.
"It's a combination of a rising sea level, increased rain, high tide and wind -- and (the water) can come up unpredictably,'' Travis said.
If you don't believe it, Travis suggests you check out the occasionally flooded parking lots of Candlestick Point or the public promenade behind the just-opened Pier 1 1/2 in San Francisco.
Travis predicts "high value'' properties like the A's stadium will need to be protected by seawalls along the shore and lots of pumps.
And if that doesn't work?
Well, said Travis, "One of the things they could do is play water polo.''
The A's seem unfazed by the warming warning, saying they wouldn't be proceeding with planning for a Fremont ballpark if they thought water was a worry.
Besides, said team spokesman Jim Young, "a century is a long way off, and I won't be available for comment in a hundred years when it becomes a problem.''
How irresponsible. Why aren't the A's being more considerate of their children and grandchildren's futures? Maybe they just wanted to be like Monster Park (Candlestick) and enjoy a little flooding and muck of their own? |
|
Your Options |
Additional Options are only visible when you login! !
|
|
|
|
