Inundation District (and a less than ideal movie-going experience)

[lauradi7dw]

The library, in conjunction with an environmental group* sponsored a screening of "The Inundation District" at the Lexington Venue, which gave them the theater for free, I think. It was to be followed by a Q&A with the director. It's an important topic, so I put on a good mask and walked to town.
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/pmGyZdx_QDI?feature=shared
When I looked up the trailer, I saw that the entire film is on youtube
https://youtu.be/ab9p4yBGzAg?feature=shared
That wasn't really a surprise, because the showing was just someone's laptop piped onto the big screen somehow, with the bottom bar showing the whole time, and from time to time there were lag issues. I left after an hour. I'm watching the last twenty minutes now. Maybe I should have stayed home and watched it by myself, but I wasn't trying to multi-task in the darkened theater, and I am now.
I liked that homeless people who have been living under a bridge in Fort Point (?) are treated as talking heads being interviewed equally with activists and real estate developers and a hydrologist. Close observations are important. Also striking was the director of the Aquarium saying that discussions are happening (just discussions, currently) about where they will need to move. Also a new term for me: "intertidal bench."
Old North (and the bells) are far above even some of the direst predictions, but that won't do us much good if Haymarket station and the Big Dig are all under water. Aquarium station already floods sometimes.
The emerald tutu concept is very interesting. I hope it works, but yikes, the words on the website are shockingly blue
https://emerald-tutu.com/about

I knew about how much the sea level has risen and will rise in Boston. I have been scornful of the Seaport development. For some reason, I never thought about how it will affect Lexington as a municipality. We are at a higher sea level, somewhat inland, and I personally live near the top of a hill. But how many people in town have their livelihoods in places closer to the coast? How will we pay for the astoundingly expensive proposed new high school if jobs move away from the Boston/Cambridge area? A random selfish thought, and yet maybe more action would happen if all of us selfish people thought more.

* (the autocomplete wanted me to say "the library, in conjunction with the library." What?)

Comments

[nosrednayduj]

I recently read "New York 2140" by Kim Stanley Robinson. Inundation district is a good description of the setting. It takes place in New York after 40 feet of sea level rise, and how the people living in the old office buildings cope with their first three stories being underwater.

It was too complicated and long, with too many characters and side plots, and some of the science was wrong, so I don't unreservedly recommend it, but it definitely had some interesting ideas about coping with climate change, and also a really good indictment of the whole capitalist framework.

[lauradi7dw]

The developer in charge of most of the newer construction in the Seaport district was defensive about claims that they had made no preparations for sea level rise. He pointed out that the sidewalks/roads were higher than before, that some of the underground garages have some sort of water trapping storage system (that I didn't understand the technicalities of) and that at least one of the very big buildings has all its electric stuff on the 3rd floor, not the ground floor or basement. The Aquarium person said that they have moved all the HVAC stuff to the roof and have raised up some other things.