Seattle 2220: Our Ancestors' Planning Legacy

摘要

From my vantage, atop the newly restored, expanded Bell Harbor International Convention Center, I find it difficult to imagine that much of the activity and prosperity before me might not exist without the convictions and actions of past generations. Early in the twenty-first century, as worldwide energy and drinking-water shortages and catastrophic weather events first crept into the news, the rising ocean seemed far from Seattle residents' minds. At the time, the city was confronting other climate change issues, especially greenhouse gas reductions. Largely on account of citizen interest, Seattle achieved carbon neutrality in 2050, twenty years later than its original 2030 target, but a decade before America's other then-largest cities. Perhaps it was pride in this accomplishment mixed with visionary thinking that spurred city leaders to plan for ever-rising seawater.