The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a stark warning about the future of coastal areas across the United States as sea levels continue to rise.
This group expects critical infrastructure to be at serious risk, with 1,600 buildings liable to flood twice a year between now and 2050.
What's happening?
The group's report has revealed that public and affordable housing, emergency services, electrical substations, and brownfields along U.S. coastlines are at real risk of regular flooding in the coming decades.
Rising sea levels, as a result of human-caused global heating, are accelerating, and a lot of the infrastructure in coastal areas was "built for a climate that no longer exists," per the UOCS.
Increasingly heavy and long-lasting storms are an additional concern that could exacerbate the issue, but even without these extreme weather events — made worse by planet-warming pollution from transportation, agriculture, and fashion industries, among others — coastal areas are still susceptible to seawater intrusion.
Why are rising sea levels concerning?
The most at-risk states include Louisiana, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, and California, with nearly 703 communities expected to be affected by 2050.
The infrastructure at risk is estimated to serve around 2.9 million people, cutting people off from their homes, schools, and emergency services.
Meanwhile, disadvantaged communities are expected to shoulder most of the burden.
"On average, disadvantaged communities contain roughly twice as many at-risk infrastructure assets per capita as nondisadvantaged communities, and more than 70 percent of the public housing at risk is located in disadvantaged communities," the report detailed.
The report follows the release of an interactive map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that details areas of the United States most at risk from sea-level rise.
What can be done about sea-level rise?
Among the main causes of rising sea levels is human-caused pollution. As the UOCS noted, heat-trapping gases cause land-based ice to shrink, allowing meltwater to enter oceans. What's more, higher ocean temperatures encourage water to expand, which makes the situation worse.
Unfortunately, the UOCS paints a bleak picture of the polluting impact of humans.
"Even if all heat-trapping emissions worldwide ceased today, the past emissions alone ensure a continued rise in sea levels," the organization said.
But that shouldn't stop us from striving to cut pollution as much as possible. The report calls for resilience investments, especially for disadvantaged communities, as well as resettlement resources.
We can also help by drastically reducing the pollution we produce on a daily basis. Whether that's swapping a gas-guzzling car for a cleaner electric model, cutting our consumption of meat, or switching to pollution-free sources of energy like solar and wind power, we can still make a difference in protecting vulnerable coastal areas and the nation as a whole.
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