I’ve got ten dollars says the words “stochastic” and “sous vide” have never before been used together to make a point. But with today’s temperature predicted to reach 103 degrees, maybe now is a good time to talk about cooking ourselves.
It was hard not to notice the sense of urgency in last week’s comments. Not only were there a lot of them, but gosh, what a selection of strong, informed and passionate writing. SD’s comment came in late yesterday, and even among that crowd it grabbed me by the lapels and made me pay attention.
SD writes in agreement with fellow commenter 9watts, that climate change doesn’t get the emphasis it deserves in Portland transportation discussions. I’ve noticed that too. But it’s anxiety about climate collapse that might be fueling the urgency of our debates.
Here’s what SD wrote:
Climate collapse and heat adaptation should be in the forefront of PBOT’s mission. They should leverage this heavily in reshaping infrastructure to prioritize rational human movement in Portland. Heat islands are a large part of PBOT’s infrastructure.
The emphasis on linear climate changes such as increasing temperature over time or sea level rise are easy to grasp and support with data but do not capture the likely possibility of stochastic changes that will occur as specific elements that buffer climate collapse.
We should be pulling out all of the stops now while we are not yet in complete crisis. Instead, we have self-interested people in decision-making positions, like Mapps, that are more interested in a mundane, forgettable political career than trying to use their agency to find solutions, prepare Portland and create resiliency.
Sous vide for steak is 130ºF. We aren’t far off from fatal temperatures. It is a real possibility that children today or their children will die from heat related causes or starvation.
… And children today are dying due to climate disruption. Yes, we realize that’s a dark note to end on, but it feels appropriate given our situation.
Thank you SD and everyone else who commented last week. You can read SD’s comment under the original post.