Due to climate change, an estimated 13 million Americans along the coast are at risk for floods from rising seas, says a new study released Monday. If population estimates from the year 2100 are correct, a six-foot sea level rise would expose 13 million people to severe flooding and other hazards that coincide with high water levels. Florida, of course, faces the most risk with 6 million people estimated to be affected.
AMERICANS NOT ALONE IN SEA LEVEL RISKS
While Florida, California and Lousiana seem to be the most at risk in the U.S, Americans are hardly alone. Sea level rise is a global issue. Already, projections are three times bigger that current estimates. This suggests we have grossly underestimated the effect sea-level rise will have. Outside of the U.S, 31 countries with more than 100,00 residents will be affected by a 6-foot sea rise.
GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN
The British journal Nature Climate Change released the study and they have nothing to gain from worrying millions of people. Politics aside, many people should think about relocation. A migration of this size is estimated to be larger than the Great Migration of southern Africans to the North in the 20th century. This move won’t come cheaply either. The study suggests a $14 trillion dollar price tag would come along with a relocation this big.
WE DUG OUR OWN GRAVE
Even if seas rose half of the estimated six feet, roughly 4.2 million Americans would be affected. It’s time for these Americans and the rest of the world to pay some attention to the threats they face. Climate change is happening, and it is causing our sea levels to rise. We can no longer prevent that. The damage is done. Greenhouse gases, caused by us, traps heat in the atmosphere. This heat causes glaciers and ice sheets to melt. Just like your glass of water, when ice melts the water expands. Warm water takes up more space than cooler water. This isn’t rocketed science. Americans can deny it all they want, but they’ve already dug their own grave. Our best bet is to adapt to the consequences. Land in South Dakota is said to be pretty cheap, so maybe start there.
