Cape & Islands News

What Global Warming looks like in Chatham today

Greenpeace members rally 'round the beach shacks as they disappear

Greenpeace, Clean Power Now and Mass. Climate Summer members demonstrate the danger to Cape Cod from Global Warming by standing in front of beach cottages which are the latest, local victims of climate change as one by one they fall into the sea as the tide rises. Walter Brooks photos.

Clean Power Now, Mass. Power Shift join other activists on our barrier beach today

David Pomerantz directs the team to their goal on the southern tip of Nauset Beach this morning.

Carolyn Parker's kitchen became an "Environmental War Room" as the group planned their strategy.

The Whaler could only hold five at a time as these young activists wait in the dank, wet weather for their trip to the outer beach between thunderstorms today.

A crane removes another cottage as the group arrives.

By Walter Brooks

While it is the youth of America which lead the charge for social change, it is their parents who drive the car, or in this case, the Boston Whaler.

And when Caroline Parker of North Chatham got the call last night from her sister in Beverly Farms on the North Shore, little did she realize she would be at the helm in a choppy Chatham Harbor during this morning's nasty weather to ferry several groups of Greenpeace, Mass. Climate Summer and Clean Power Now activists to the outer beach shacks about to fall into the sea.

Youth acts, Maturity facilitates

The young activists felt that the old family beach cottages on Nauset Beach and North Beach Island off Chatham could be the latest "poster child" for proof of climate change and its damaging effect on our shoreline to say nothing of the disastrous effect on the Cape's tourism industry from even one meter of ocean rise.

But Carolyn Parker had forgotten about her sister's phone call this morning as she sat in her kitchen in North Chatham sipping coffee - then she noticed her driveway was filling up with cars disgorging a dozen or so young strangers.

These turned out to be friends of her sister's son who suggested to his peers that Aunt Carolyn wouldn't mind spending a wet and cold morning making over a half dozen trips to the outer beach across from her home on Bassing Harbor so these environmentally concerned young people could lead their elders to a renewable, clean air future.

So as the activists gathered in her kitchen to discuss their plans, Carolyn went and got the small Boston Whaler ready to act as a ferryboat during this morning's really unpleasant weather which included severe thunder storm warnings as they ended their campaign around noon.

Greenpeace leader David Pomerantz cautioned his group to stay below the high water line and respect the property of the cottage owners. He urged them to walk on the sand and not disturb the delicate beach grasses which help stabilize the outer beach.

David Pomerantz rallies his troops

"The beaches of Cape Cod are a precious part of Massachusetts' way of life and economy, and we need to protect them. While research cannot tie discrete events like the recent storm activity on the Cape and Islands to global warming, we do know that higher storm surges and coastal flooding are consistent with what scientists say will happen to Massachusetts' coastline if we do not act now" David Pomerantz told his group.

"President Obama and Congress should do what scientists say is necessary - and no less - to prevent catastrophic global warming," Greenpeace field organizer David Pomerantz added.

WWCD ? (What Would Christy Do?)

Some of the demonstrators wondered whether it would take a serious erosion of gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos' own private beach on Great Island for him to relax his opposition to the Cape Wind project six miles away. Others suggested dogging his campaign next Fall if the wind farm isn't approved by then. Our own conversations with Mr. Mihos elicited the same hope from him, that the project will be a thing of the past when he begins the serious part of his campaign to replace Deval Patrick.

The group was well aware that one offshore wind farm won't solve global warming, but they also believe that if the rich and powerful can stop Cape Wind, then no other entrepreneur will hazard $30 million of his or her own money to attempt another one.

The group is campaigning this summer for members and the public to contact Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar to urge him to issue the Record of Decision for Cape Wind as soon as possible so America can begin to move aggressively to exploit the abundant offshore wind energy potential with a shovel ready project and begin the move to free the nation from dependence on foreign oil.

Cape grassroots group joins forces with state group

The Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that waves briefly lapped along two long-imagined Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northern Sea Route over Russia. NYT.

Today's demonstration was the first example of the 12,000 member Clean Power Now group's partnering with Massachusetts Power Shift this summer in their educational efforts on the Cape and Islands as they talk with residents and summer visitors alike about their goal of re-powering America with 100% renewable energy in 10 years. Clean Power Now says it recognizes the importance of this goal and sees it as a powerful endorsement of the Cape Wind project because without real projects and without real steel in the ground we will never achieve such an ambitious goal.

CPN told cc2day that the erosion caused by storm surges we witnessed today has been a part of Cape Cod's history and has continually reshaped the Cape's coastline throughout its history. The group says, however, the intensity and speed of this erosion will inevitably increase as climate change heightens the frequency and strength of storm surges.

The pictures taken today show a loss of homes and property that will become much more common and serve as a powerful image to awaken people to the severity of climate change and the need for new cleaner sources of energy, much like Cape Wind offers.

 Below is the scene as the activists arrived on Nauset Beach between storms today. Walter Brooks photos.