With oceans expanding from the heat and with glaciers large and small melting away, sea levels have climbed more than 8 inches since 1880, and the current rate is about an inch and a quarter every decade.
One hot spot is the East Coast, where the land is sinking and nearby ocean currents are slowing, causing the water to rise faster. From Cape Hatteras, N.C., up through Cape Cod, Mass., in the past half century, the speed of increase in water level has been three to four times the global average. Yet the North Carolina legislature has essentially banned relevant state agencies from taking projections of accelerating sea-level rises into account in policy making.
Such shortsightedness is not only irrational, it’s foolish. By 2030, in many places on the U.S. coast, sea level rise due to global warming will have more than doubled the risk of floods 4 feet or more over high tide. Lands below this 4-foot mark are now home to 5 million Americans, as well as vital infrastructure.
Not all public officials have their heads in the dampening sand. Their actions fall into three broad categories: protection, accommodation and retreat.
Protective strategies include building or reinforcing structures such as levees, dikes and sea walls and also developing soft defenses such as marshes and beaches.
Accommodation means remodeling buildings and houses in areas prone to more flooding. More
