A lesson for New Orleans and the world ..

This morning was I was driving to work and listening to NPR, as usual a great story was being told and I just need to share. I know, sometime the name of this blog should be what is on NPR, but the thing is this is really interesting, at least to me and my environmental and political consciousness were awoken.

What is happening is that the Dutch government, is very worried about rising sea levels, which to them is a matter of life and death, but the Dutch are not. Why ? well after the flood of 53, they built massive storm surge barriers, new dams and giant steel floodgates that have kept the seas from rising, but the problem is we are in 2008 and not 1953, so these massive works of infrastructure, such as the Maeslant barrier are more than sufficient for a world that was not suppose to change, but who knows where the sea levels will be in 10 or 20 years.

Of course because if there is a country that thinks rationally and efficiently, they government has changed its policy of always fighting the water. Now the are welcoming the water and they are moving people and farms in the low lands, so that some of the land will be given back to the rivers and allowed to flood. By allowing more water in, and fine tuning the "North Sea Defenses" as they are called they are hoping to prevent disasters in the near and no so near future. The government official interviewed by NPR said "this idea of letting the water go where it wants is going to take getting used to. The Dutch are used to taming nature, he says. "But now, they have to accept retreat. And give part of the country back to the water. Because it is better. Because it is more clever."

I have to say it is so refreshing to hear about a government that is more engaged in climate change than it own citizens. I know this is why the Dutch have managed to survive and prosper in such difficult conditions, but this is something to look upon with admiration and astonishment. I can only wish that the US government and specially the State governments of the Gulf region would listen to the story and start thinking about it. I have always said that if we want to save New Orleans, alls we need is to call the Dutch and write a really, really big check.

Source: NPR (www.npr.org)