You Can't Blame Everything on the Climate Crisis But.....?

The horrendous collapse of the 40 year old, 12 storey-tall Champlain Towers South in the Miami area, cannot be definitely linked to the climate crisis. It should at least, however, force a consideration of the issues (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/29/miami-condo-collapse-questions-climate-change). South Florida is in an especially vulnerable position in relation to rising sea-levels. I have already commented on the problems facing the Florida Keys. Here, roads are having to be raised and some homes abandoned to flooding. Sea-levels have risen in the 40 years since the Champlain Towers South condo was constructed. They will inevitably rise still further (even if there is a drammatic reduction in 'greenhouse gas' emissions). The Champlain Towers South was designed at a time, when materials used in the building's construction, would have been less resistant to salt water intrusion. There was a report, from 2018, noting cracking in the building's concrete. The 'soils' in South Florida are sandy, making them very porous. Salt water intrusion would be inevitably increased, as the ground water levels rose. Sea water reaching the foundations of Champlain Towers South, would have had the potential to corrode its concrete and steel, weakening the building. None of this, of course, proves that the climate crisis was the only factor involved in the collapse of Champlain Towers South. It does, however, suggest that climate change has the potential to destabilize buildings, in areas like South Miami. There is an urgent need to evaluate the risks, especially to older, multi-storey constructions.