Coastal flooding is rapidly emerging as one of the gravest consequences of global warming. The steady rise in global temperatures has triggered the melting of glacial and land ice, resulting in rising sea levels. The coastlines are the worst affected by this, and it may result in massive displacements in the coming years. Ironically, in many places, the coasts are the most densely populated.
For years in the United States, warnings about global warming have been issued by some scientists and environmental organizations. Many considered these warnings to be speculative and a form of scare-mongering, but they have now become a reality. Sea levels have risen to be nearly flush with roads. Just a high tide is now enough to flood them, along with basements and storm water drains. Additionally, fresh water wells become polluted with saline sea water, making them unusable. The phenomenon of flooding not due to a storm or hurricane, but to increasing sea levels is called “sunny day” or “nuisance” flooding.
To fend off flooding, local governments are spending millions to undertake reactive measures. Some of these measures include:
- erecting sea walls
- raising street levels
- installing de-watering pumps
Unfortunately, the panic on the ground has not set the alarm bells ringing at the national congressional level. Paradoxically, the federal government is compounding the issue by spending billions of taxpayer money on coastal reconstruction after every storm devastation. When disaster prone areas are well-known and documented, does it make sense to rebuild them after every storm? In addition to repeated property loss, lives are at stake because of a false sense of security created by the rebuilding process.
Coastal residents are engaging in coping mechanisms, such as:
- permanently elevating houses
- installing new road signs with markings to indicate the level of water during floods for safe driving
- propping up the low-lying land with dirt
But these measures are mostly driven based on precedents, as no one knows what the future holds in terms of the magnitude of sea level rise and the associated flooding.
A large group of scientists are working on forecasting this variable. In 2013, many of them believed that the rise would be no more than 3 feet by year 2100. Now a much higher 6-7 feet is being considered a strong possibility. This could have disastrous consequences for low-lying cities.
Scientist Dr. Stoddard of South Miami paints a grave picture for humanity. “We put enough heat in the ocean to send water over us. Ultimately, we give up and we leave. That’s how the story ends.”
References:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/science/flooding-of-coast-caused-by-global-warming-has-already-begun.html?_r=0