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Asheville, N.C., seemed like an ideal place to escape the worst effects of global warming. In recent years, media outlets and real estate agents named the city a “climate haven” because of its cooler-than-normal temperatures in the South and a location far inland from the flooding-pummeled coasts. Last year, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on worries that the city would become overcrowded from climate-change migration.
The floods illuminate two truths about a world transformed by global warming, experts say. It is unlikely that any places will be truly safe from climate change — and even high-elevation, inland areas are vulnerable to drowning in a world where planetary warming is fueling heavier rains.
It is a law of physics that, for every degree Celsius increase in temperature, air is able to hold 7 percent more water vapor. This phenomenon increases the moisture available for storms, making individual events wetter than they otherwise would be and increasing the risk of unprecedented rain.
The United States and countries around the globe are already experiencing what could lie in store.Last year, areas of Vermont were deluged by devastating rains that would have been exceedingly rare in an unchanged climate.This summer, a town in southern New Mexico was struck by eight floods in four weeks, after wildfires destroyed vegetation and subsequent rain funneled directly into neighborhoods. And just a few weeks ago, floods and heavy rain surged over Central Europe.
Although some have called this age the “ Pyrocene,” because of growing wildfires, scientists also emphasize the world is heading toward a watery future of surging oceans and worsening floods.
“What happened in western North Carolina really speaks to the challenge of atmospheric warming generating heavier rainfall,” said Nicolas Zegre, director of the Mountain Hydrology Lab at West Virginia University. “That is a tremendous amount of water that has nowhere to go.”
Asheville has already been growing rapidly. There was about a 13% increase in population between 2010 and 2020, from 83,000 people to about 94,000, according to the U.S. Census.
The predicted influx of climate-related moves to the area certainly does have those economic benefits. Keenan said that Asheville’s welcoming community and vibrant culture draws movers who often help add to this. However, he said that the already crowded city needs to invest in careful, climate-friendly urban planning to keep this spirit intact.
“I think that that cultural capacity of Asheville to have an open door is both a blessing and a curse,” Keenan said. “I think it’s a blessing in the sense that as people move in, it builds social capital, it builds community connections, and it builds a stronger community. I think it’s also a bit of a curse to the extent that it makes it a very attractive place. Culture does add a lot of value and economic value to the housing market. Asheville has been under a lot of economic strain, and significant housing costs, and land constrained land development.”
Anyone who has dealt with standstill traffic, noisy construction or packed sidewalks might have some idea of Asheville’s rate of growth. Residents have widely varied feelings about this growth, and the city government and partnered organizations have attempted to address subjects of concern accordingly.
In 2018, the City of Asheville’s Planning and Urban Design department released a Comprehensive Plan which they described as “a tool used to establish a high-level vision to guide citywide policy decisions over several years.” The plan contains a 128-page section titled Planning for Climate Resilience that takes an in depth look at what the city hopes to accomplish in order to create a sustainable future.
The document explores what Asheville is doing right, any hazards or problem areas, and most importantly, looks forward to discuss what the next steps in the city’s journey to sustainability will be.
Some key points of the extensive document are summarized below courtesy of Adaptation Clearinghouse.
Strengthening urban transit corridors using smart growth principles
Creating a green infrastructure network around transportation corridors to address urban heat islands
Protecting sensitive lands and promoting edible and native landscapes that improve water quality and reduce waste and energy use
Fostering resilient neighborhoods through place-making and enhanced community engagement particularly with minority communities
Using nature to enhance open space and stormwater management
Enhancing equitable, upward mobility by addressing housing affordability and workforce development
Lamoille County was among the hardest-hit areas in the state, with towns and villages, including Johnson, Cambridge, Hardwick and Jeffersonville, suffering damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses — Below, news report from this past summer.
