Candidates' Answers to Question #7
7. Are you prepared for sea level rise inherent in continued misuse of fossil fuels? (This question was submitted by a youth organization.)
Bill Fulton: I’m personally prepared because I have inflatable lifeboats in my closet.
But I fear our city is not. As a beach town, we must begin a discussion of how we will adapt to the sea-level rise that is likely to occur as a result of global climate change.
Doug Halter: We should do everything possible to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels including significant funding for energy efficient mass transit and tax benefits for alternative renewable fuels.
Christy Weir: No, we’re probably not. The goal is to prevent any rise in the sea level through appropriate policies and practices.
Mike Gibson: I'm not sure that anyone is prepared for this, quite frankly, if it happens as dramatically as predicted over the next 20 - 50 years. I believe the City, as well as the entire region and state, is going to need to do some good forecasting and pre-planning to accommodate the changes in the coastal topography that are likely to occur and that will have a significant impact on our children and grandchildren.
In addition, I think, as a nation, we need to be more conscientious about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in order to help preserve our planet and its resources for the coming generations.
Carl Morehouse: If you are asking, as a City are we prepared, definitely not. Over the past seventy or so years the City has allowed a lot of development along our coast. This development occurred because at that time there was much demand from people who wanted to reside near the ocean. Today, many of us consider those people in harms way, but the best we can offer at this time is potential protection after the fact, which is a heck of a poor way to conduct public safety. If we can, as a city, a state, a country and a planet, get our greenhouse gas emissions under control and reduce global warming, we might be able to save those people a lot of pain in the future.
Jerry D. Martin: I am not sure I have the required expertise to comment on a rise in sea levels, but as I have previously stated, I believe we must develop alternatives to fossil fuels.
Lou Cunningham: At 63 I doubt that I will ever see this happen but I’m sure that some one will. We can only do the best we can and try to get others to join us in the crusade to stop the use of fossil fuels in hopes of stopping this.
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