Should Miami be evacuated?

There is a two person debate in the pages of The Nation about whether Miami should be evacuated or relocated on account of sea level rise. Here is my response:

A good debate and one that applies to New York, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans and many other US cities especially on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Daniel Cohen makes an excellent point about the managed relocation of many coastal populations and the need for social equity. Samantha Schuyler allows her love for the city to blind her to the big issues. It is not just one or two neighbourhoods at risk. It is the big systemic vulnerabilities that put the whole city of Miami at risk such as the roads, the canals, the utilities all of which are going to be rendered non-functional with sea level rise. Boats will not be able to get under bridges for instance. And specific to Miami, the whole place is built on porous coral rock. I write from Boston and we too love our city but it would be foolhardy to think that the entire complex infrastructure is not likely to be out of commission in the coming decades. Back to Dan Cohen to sort out the sustainable, resilient, equitable New Miami, New Boston and the 'new' populations that are without doubt on the agenda for the freshmen of today as they take on serious jobs tomorrow.