Climate Adaptation Aff
Plan
Our coastlines, particularly in New York and Florida, are at risk. If we don’t act now and plan for the long
term, it will cost MORE in damages and bailout money than it does to preemptively fix infrastructure
and nourish our beaches. It’s time to get politics out of our oceans and pay attention to physics.
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military
exploration and/or development of the Earth’s oceans by implementing policies of beach nourishment,
building permits, and coastal realignment to defend from rising sea levels.
Plan Plank 1, Delta plan: We will copy the Netherlands’ 200 year Delta Plan by building infrastructure
such as dykes, levis, and dams to protect our coastlines.
Plan Plank 2, building permits: contractors are to be discouraged from building infrastructure in likely
flood plains, particularly in Miami, New York, New Orleans, and other at risk coastal regions.
Plan Plank 3, coastal realignment: if beach nourishment is not implemented in time to protect the
coasts, a backup plan will be enacted. Specifically, a plan detailing where the coastline should be
redrawn and which locations should be evacuated as necessary ahead of time to minimize costs and
damages
Plan Plank 4, fiat: We claim the right to fiat and to define all terms. Affirmative speeches will serve as
legislative intent for purposes of plan interpretation
Harm/Inherency
Sea Levels rising
Smith, 2011 (Lloy’ds, David Smith,
http://www.lloyds.com/~/media/Lloyds/Reports/360/360%20Climate%20reports/360_RapidClimateChangeReport.pdf, “360 Risk Project PJL)
Sea levels will rise faster this century than last century, and the prospect of a rapid rise in sea level
within our lifetime is increasing. Over coming decades we can expect to see global sea levels rise up to
ten times faster than a century ago, putting coastal communities - including key urban conurbations in
the developed world - at increased risk.
Ocean levels are rising, serious impact
University of Copenhagen, 2009 (March 11, “Rising Sea Levels Set To Have Major Impacts Around The World,”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090310104742.htm PJL)
"Unless we undertake urgent and significant mitigation actions, the climate could cross a threshold
during the 21st century committing the world to a sea level rise of metres", said John Church.¶
"Measurements around the world show that sea level has risen almost 20 centimeters since 1880,"
explains Professor Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who will give the plenary speech on sea level rise at
the congress. These data also reveal that the rate of sea level rise is closely linked to temperature: sea level rises faster the warmer it gets. "If
sea level keeps rising at a constant pace, we will end up in the middle of that 18-59 cm IPCC range by
2100," says Rahmstorf. "But based on past experience I expect that sea level rise will accelerate as the planet gets hotter."¶ The impacts
of sea level rise - even in the lower ranges of the current predictions - looks to be severe. Approximately
ten percent of the worlds population - 600 million people - live in low lying areas in danger of being
flooded. A previously released study led by John Church, shows that even a modest sea level rise of 50 centimeters will result in a major
increase in the number of coastal flooding events.¶
Much of Florida is now underwater
Florida Dept of State Historical Resources, no date
http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/contexts/paleo.cfm
(“Florida Historical Contexts: The Paleoindian Period”
PJL)
About 10,000 years ago, changes in the Florida landscape and environment coincided with new developments in subsistence
technology and settlement patterns, leading to the next archaeologically defined stage, the Archaic. Less than 100 Paleoindian sites are
recorded in Florida. These known sites are scattered around the state and their recording is primarily a result of accidental discoveries. Many
more Paleoindian sites undoubtedly exist, but they are located offshore on the continental shelf, in terrestrial wet areas, or are deeply buried.
These inaccessible locations make it difficult to identify Paleoindian sites, and our ignorance of them has biased our interpretation of
Paleoindian culture.The Paleoindians lived in a Florida
[was] twice the size it is today. At the time they lived, sea level was
60-100 m lower, exposing vast expanses of the present continental shelf (Gagliano 1977; Blackwelder et al. 1979). Present-day
coasts were inland, even upland, areas.
Solvency
Netherlands has successfully implemented the plan
No Author, No Date (“The Delta Works -The Netherlands Fight Against the Sea,” http://www.english-online.at/environment/delta-works/delta-works-netherlandsfight-against-the-sea.htm PJL)
With over a third of its land below sea level, the
Netherlands have been fighting against the sea for hundreds of
years. Over the centuries they have built dykes, dams and windmills to stop sea water from getting into the country. The last big
disaster occurred in 1953. A storm that swept across the North Sea killed over 2000 people and
flooded thousands of square kilometers of land. After this catastrophe something had to be done. A
new plan, called the Delta Works, created a series of dams, locks, dykes and other barriers to protect
the coastal areas from the sea. The mouths of the major rivers were closed and the coastline was
shortened by about 500 km. As a result the water behind the dams turned into freshwater lakes. It
took over 30 years to complete the Delta Works and officials say it is the world’s best defense system.
In addition, old dykes have been improved and made higher. Only a great storm that happens once in 10, 000 years can break them. The
final part of the Delta Works, the Maeslant Barrier was opened in 1997. It was originally intended to
keep sea water out of Rotterdam’s Europoort harbor, most of which lies below sea level. But it also
protects the surrounding towns and the farming land around it. When sea levels rise by 3 meters the
two semi-circular gates of the 300 meter wide barrier close automatically. The Maeslant Barrier is expected that
the barrier will close once every ten years because of large storms but in the next 50 years it will probably close even more often.
The Delta Plan works in the Netherlands
Heuvel, ND (Tjark van, “Sand Nourishment: A flexible and resilient, adaptive coastal defence measure,” http://www.coastalcooperation.net/part-III/III-3-3-2.pdf PJL)
In the Netherlands coastal nourishment proved to be successful and efficient. It contributes to a major
reduction in maintenance costs of the coastal protection when compared to hard defences. Moreover,
it also has benefits for other coastal functions, like recreation and nature conservation. Nourishment
is a sustainable method, as it fits within the natural processes of sand transport and sedimentation.
The resilience of coastal systems is safeguarded or can even be enlarged. It is widely considered that
the use of sand is a better alternative than the construction of hard structures, for instance groins and
dams, to protect a sandy coast. This is not only from an ecological perspective but also from an
engineering point of view. The use of sand causes less serious side effects in the longer term than
concrete structures.
AV1 – economy
(by protecting coastlines, we won’t lose New York, Florida, New Orleans, etc, and thus we won’t lose
millions of dollars in American Assets + insurance and businesses)
Miami is the most financially exposed city, New York is second, and the third is New
Orleans, out of entire world
OECD, 2007 (“RANKING OF THE WORLD'S CITIES MOST EXPOSED TO COASTAL FLOODING TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE,”
http://www.oecd.org/env/cc/39721444.pdf PJL)
The ten cities with highest population exposure today are almost equally split between
developed and developing countries. When assets are considered, the current distribution
becomes more heavily weighted towards developed countries, as the wealth of the cities
becomes important. The total value of assets exposed in 2005 is estimated to be US$3,000
billion; corresponding to around 5% of global GDP in 2005 (both measured in international
USD). The top 10 cities in this ranking are Miami, Greater New York, New Orleans, OsakaKobe, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Nagoya, Tampa-St Petersburg and Virginia Beach.
These cities contain 60% of the total exposure, but are from only three (wealthy) countries: USA,
Japan and the Netherlands.
AV2 – indigenous people
A) Indigenous people are being force-evacuated from their homes due to soil erosion
B) Our plan reduces soil erosion
Backup Evidence (plan)
USFG can change local zoning permits
Cornell University law Institute, ND (CRS ANNOTATED CONSTITUTION, Fifth Amendment,
http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt5bfrag4_user.html#fnb167)
“The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution says ‘nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.’ This is a tacit
recognition of a preexisting power to take private property for public use, rather than a grant of new power.”160 Eminent domain “appertains
to every independent government. It requires no constitutional recognition; it is an attribute of sovereignty.”161 In the early years of the nation
the federal power of eminent domain lay dormant,162 and it was not until 1876 that its existence was recognized by the Supreme Court. In
Kohl v. United States163 any doubts were laid to rest, as the Court affirmed that the power was as necessary to the existence of the National
Government as it was to the existence of any State. The federal power of eminent domain is, of course, limited by the grants of power in the
Constitution, so that property may only be taken for the effectuation of a granted power,164 but once this is conceded the ambit of national
powers is so wide– ranging that vast numbers of objects[p.1370]may be effected.165 This prerogative of the National Government can neither
be enlarged nor diminished by a State.166 Whenever
lands in a State are needed for a public purpose, Congress
may authorize that they be taken, either by proceedings in the courts of the State, with its consent, or
by proceedings in the courts of the United States, with or without any consent or concurrent act of
the State.