Ribbon-Cutting the Sea Wall

At a festive waterfront ribbon-cutting, smiling city officials in hard hats and green ceremonial sashes pose for cameras with oversized gold scissors in front of a brand-new sea wall plastered with polished sponsor plaques from major oil companies and luxury cruise lines. A banner reads something like 'Climate Resilience Opening Day.' The joke lands in the background and edges of the frame: floodwater is already swallowing nearby houses, bobbing cars, and street signs, and construction crews standing knee-deep in water are still frantically adding extra concrete blocks to raise the wall even as the ribbon is being cut. The officials remain focused on the photo-op, with confetti, applause, and corporate logos framing a disaster that is visibly ongoing.