Environment 2020: The Good, the Bad and the Hot By Nano Riley
SHELLY WILSON
16
For most, the best thing we can say about 2020 is that it’s over. The environment took some hits, but it was probably the only space that welcomed world-wide shutdowns. The year gave us an unrelenting hurricane season, with five storms careening across the Gulf to slam Louisiana and the northern coast, crippling folks across the southeast. In all, 12 storms made landfall in the U.S., making it the costliest season on record. Wildfires ravaged the west, causing untold damage and destroyed some revered, old-growth sequoia groves. Environmentally, climate change is the most important issue on nearly everyone’s agenda – even “deniers” are fast losing ground. With “sunny day flooding” becoming a familiar issue in Florida’s coastal communities, it’s hard to miss the fact that the sea level is slowly creeping up, causing high-tide flooding when the sun’s out in many low-lying areas. Flooding played a major role in the damage inflicted here in Gulfport. A November storm, Eta, roared in with unexpected force, causing extensive flooding and stranding at least six boats. It was a wake-up that bigger, more destructive storms are becoming more common. However, there were some bright spots this year. Though we suffered through the isolation of COVID-19, the environment benefited immensely from the quarantine in discernible ways. According to NASA, the decline in air pollution was visible from space, as people drove less, airlines cut trips drastically and folks stayed home. During
theGabber.com | December 31, 2020 - January 6, 2021
