In 2007 a proposal to stripe a blue
line throughout downtown Santa Barbara would have shown the potential sea level
rise in our fair city as a result of climate change. I was shocked to see how
much of the community would be impacted — sandy beaches gone, coastal habitats
lost, neighborhoods wiped out, and transportation corridors flooded.
At the time, I was working on creek
and watershed protection. This seemed like a great opportunity to integrate a
message about the health of wetlands and upland streams in the face of climate
change. But what seemed like a low-key, elegant gesture using art to expand
awareness turned into a high-profile, heated debate between environmental concerns
and business interests.
City leaders ultimately rejected the
Light Blue Line project for fear it would impact property values on the “ocean
side” of the line. Sea level rise, and other climate impacts, were considered
problems for the distant future, and I believe our community simply wasn’t
ready to accept the implications of that light blue line — the weakness it
revealed in our social, economic, and environmental infrastructure.