Valecnia Floods Due to Infraxtructure Failures, Not Climate Change

Written by Dr. Matthew Wielicki on November 5, 2024. Posted in Current News

Let’s get one thing straight: The recent floods in Valencia, Spain, have nothing to do with climate change and everything to do with ignored infrastructure needs and poor urban planning. [emphasis, links added]

It’s almost laughable how quickly politicians and mainstream media (MSM) outlets rushed to label this as a “climate-fueled catastrophe.”

But take a closer look, and you’ll see that these floods were not only predictable, they were preventable.

What Happened in Valencia

Just yesterday, Valencia was hit by heavy rainfall, causing severe flooding across parts of the city. The MSM was quick to declare this a “climate crisis” story, with headlines sounding alarms on climate change.

But what went unsaid? That Valencia has faced flooding for centuries. This isn’t some new phenomenon tied to rising CO2 levels; it’s the result of decades of reckless planning decisions and refusal to address obvious risks.

Following the devastating 1957 flood (discussed below), city planners took the bold step to divert the Turia River south of the city, a brilliant structural fix meant to spare the city from future tragedies.

But what did they do next? They permitted unchecked development right around this newly created flood channel, directly in harm’s way. Yesterday’s worst flooding was right in these expansion zones (circles on the map below).

Decades of ignoring the obvious resulted in predictable failure, and no amount of “climate crisis” talk will change that.

Blaming Climate Change Instead of Accountability

There’s a glaring irony here: city planners and politicians, who ignored flood risks in the rush to expand development, are now blaming climate change for a crisis of their own making.

Instead of taking responsibility for failing to protect the residents they were entrusted to serve, they’ve found an easy out.

The “climate change” narrative diverts attention from their mistakes and conveniently aligns with the agenda that justifies more spending on policies that fail to solve the real issues.

For decades, Valencia’s leaders have ignored the historical context. Paleoclimate data and records show that the region has faced severe flooding for over a millennium, with flood records dating as far back as the 11th century.

The infamous 1957 flood remains one of the worst, and it took place during a period when CO2 levels were far lower. Yet, despite abundant evidence that flooding is a historical constant, the MSM and politicians are eager to push a story of “unprecedented” climate disaster.

The 1957 Flood and a Misused Solution

The 1957 disaster should have been a lasting lesson. Valencia took immediate action, diverting the Turia River to protect its urban core.

But instead of maintaining this safety buffer, politicians and planners exploited the diverted channel as an opportunity for development, treating flood protections as mere guidelines.

They built right in the area that was supposed to serve as a safeguard, a move that no competent urban planner would endorse.

Yesterday’s floods hit hardest in those very developments, where nature’s warning signs were long ignored. It’s a case of irresponsibility masquerading as climate alarm, where political convenience trumps public safety.

It’s easier, after all, to talk about carbon emissions than to admit that they let builders turn a floodplain into a residential area.

Media and Political Spin: Selling Fear

The media’s coverage of Valencia’s flooding reveals a clear agenda. The Daily Mail’s report highlights the floods as “catastrophic” due to climate change but completely sidesteps the historical context.

There’s no mention of the 1957 floods, no recognition that Valencia’s infrastructure was never designed to handle the scale of development that followed the river diversion.

By focusing exclusively on climate change, the media misleads readers into thinking these floods are new, that they’re the product of our “modern” environment, rather than the result of centuries-old natural variability and shortsighted city management.

See more here Climate Dispatch

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