The ocean will be 3 feet higher by the end of the century (at an absolute minimum). This rise will make most barrier islands uninhabitable, result in inundation of the world’s deltas and make low-lying coastal zones like south Florida increasingly challenging to inhabit.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season and subsequent record-breaking Houston flooding was only the beginning. Flooding will get even worse in coastal areas as the regular pattern of high tides & king tides is pushed to record heights, and as the groundwater levels rise ever higher.
Here's what you must understand about flooding: it's not the same thing as sea level rise.
Storm surges or extreme high-tide events are temporary. Sea level rise is essentially permanent from a human’s perspective: It will not recede for at least a thousand years.
Storm surges or extreme high-tide events are temporary. Sea level rise is essentially permanent from a human’s perspective: It will not recede for at least a thousand years.
Adapting to climate change impacts can follow a managed retreat process somewhere between the extremes of relocation vs. keeping communities in current locations.
These types of programs would be most humane and fiscally wise, despite potentially being politically unpopular.
These types of programs would be most humane and fiscally wise, despite potentially being politically unpopular.
People are already retreating from the shore, household by household, with little public aid or attention. Many of them are poor or are members of ethnic minority groups, as in the Mekong Delta, Bangladesh, and rural areas of Alaska and Louisiana.
Managed retreat is not uncommon following dramatic climate events.
These events alter the cost-benefit calculation for property owners- costs of status quo become larger with rebuilding/repair, while benefits of remaining stay the diminish as ppl reassess their risk tolerance.
These events alter the cost-benefit calculation for property owners- costs of status quo become larger with rebuilding/repair, while benefits of remaining stay the diminish as ppl reassess their risk tolerance.
It is time to collectively raise our voices in support of programs for managed retreat from the coastlines — prioritizing communities most at risk.
We must demand that congressional leadership addresses the impending risks of coastal living. Representatives from the most vulnerable coastal communities need to act while the process is still manageable.
The time for forced retreat will come faster than we think. Starting the discussion, identifying key leadership and obtaining broader support for managed retreat must start now.
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