Rising Sea Levels

Seawall Crescent City California

As Sea Levels Rise, Some Cities Will Be Saved While Others Will Be Left Behind

U.S. coastal cities need to prepare for the effects of climate change, but the pot of funding is limited. There’s no way around the fact that there will be winners and there will be losers.

June 22, 2019 - The New York Times

Boston Seaport

Boston’s Seaport District, Where Building Started Before Flood Preparation

The Boston waterfront has been booming, but the area is extremely vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Measures to address those risks have come just recently.

June 22, 2019 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Hurricane Sandy New York City Flooding

As Temperatures Increase, Maps Show Sea-Level Rise Will Devastate Cities

Data visualizations illustrate the catastrophic consequences of single-digit global temperature increases.

October 29, 2018 - The City Fix

Louisiana Flooding

On the Bright Side, Rising Oceans Will Send Folks to Texas

A recent study predicts that climate refugees from Florida and coastal Louisiana may disperse to areas around the southeast, with a large number resettling in Texas

May 3, 2017 - Houston Press

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How Rising Seas Threaten the NYC Metro Area

A report from the Regional Plan Association maps out what might happen under 1, 3, and 6 feet of sea level rise. In the worst cases, several dense and populated regions are affected.

December 26, 2016 - RPA Lab

Newport, Rhode Island

New Tool Prepares Rhode Island for Rising Seas

A new mapping tool shows the potential devastation along the Rhode Island coast caused by rising waters from climate change and storm surges.

December 7, 2016 - Providence Journal

Jakarta Skyline

Jakarta's Titantic 25-Mile Seawall

Indonesia's capital, population 10 million, is slowly sinking below sea level. To protect itself and drive the economy, the city is building a 25-mile bird-shaped seawall, to be topped with luxury development.

December 22, 2015 - Quartz

Too Many Cities Relying on 'Plan and Forget' Climate Adaptation Strategies

A highly critical article suggests that the experts drafting climate adaptation plans should re-evaluate their assumptions about what works and what is likely to collect dust on a shelf as the sea rises.

December 4, 2015 - The Conversation

Rising Seas Create a Catch-22 for Miami Development

Miami is in a race against time to build defenses against climate change and rising sea levels—resilience projects that require property tax revenue generated from luxury developments built in the areas most at risk.

December 31, 2014 - The Washington Post

Washington State Developing Best Practices to Address Sea-Level Rise

Acknowledging that rising sea levels are a major concern for waterfront cities in Washington, the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) non-profit put together a review of the current policy and planning efforts to meet the challenge.

May 2, 2014 - MRSC Insight

California Already Confronting ‘Significant’ Impacts of Climate Change

A new report by state scientists identifies three dozen environmental indicators that confirm the effects of climate change on California are ‘significant and growing.’

August 14, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Phoenix Dust Storm

The Ten American Cities Most At Risk from Climate Change

Grist has compiled a list of the ten U.S. cities most likely to be affected by climate change.

May 27, 2013 - Grist

San Francisco Studies How to Stay Dry

From a giant dam across the Golden Gate to a dozen "ventilated levees," the options proposed for protecting San Francisco Bay from rising seas are neither cheap nor subtle. But with sea level rise "around the corner," hard choices must be made.

January 28, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sand Dunes Prove Their Worth Along the NY Shore

Surfers, local businesses and residents alike rallied against kicking in $7 million for an Army Corps of Engineers plan to elevate beaches and erect sand dunes in Long Beach, NY six years ago. Post-Hurricane Sandy, most regret this choice.

December 6, 2012 - The New York Times

World Bank Outlines Global Warming 'Doomsday Scenario'

Howard Schneider examines a recent study by the World Bank, issued as a call-to-action for the international community not merely to curb, but to plan for and mitigate the crises that a 4°C rise in global temperatures would bring.

November 20, 2012 - The Washington Post

Asia's Megacities are Most Vulnerable to Superstorms

A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identified twenty coastal cities, which by population, would be most exposed to flooding and superstorms. Fifteen are mega-cities in Asia.

November 1, 2012 - Channel News Asia

Rising Sea Levels Threaten Boston's Historic Treasures and Much Else

Citing a "near-term risk" of rising tides, city planners in Boston are grappling with how to prepare residents and businesses for the effects of climate change, reports Monica Brady-Myerov.

August 22, 2012 - NPR

Relocating An Entire Country To Escape Climate Change

You think the preparations your coastal town are considering making to accommodate rising seal levels are onerous? Well read about the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, who are considering the need to move their entire populace to Fiji.

March 11, 2012 - Inhabitat

Los Angeles Facing Environmental Double Whammy

Water has played a starring part in the development of Los Angeles (for exhibit A, see the film Chinatown). Christine MacDonald explores how water may take a star turn once again, in its demise.

February 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

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