The State That ‘Outlawed Climate Change’ Accepts Latest Sea-Level Rise Report

nc-psds-post-sandy1
Aerial pictures of North Carolina’ s coast, after superstorm Sandy devastated the area. Highway 12. Photo courtesy of: © A PSDS / WCU Photo Gallery.

Excerpts;

Five years ago, the Science Panel of the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commissioner presented a report that outlined the possibility that sea levels along the coast could rise as much as 39 inches over the next 100 years. Reaction from local land managers and developers was quick and overwhelmingly negative. The General Assembly passed a law forbidding communities from using the report to pass new rules.

Now, almost three years later, the scientists have come back with a new report. It still predicts that sea levels will rise, but since it only looks 30 years out, the amount of rise is not anywhere near the levels predicted in the first report.

Praise for the new report might be widespread, but it is hardly complete and universal. Many say looking only 30 years out will not help with planning large-scale public projects like bridges and hospitals that are designed to last longer than the three decade predictions…

Podcast and Read Full Article, WUNC

A New Report Lays Bare the Effects of Climate Change on the N.C. Coast, IndyWeek (04-09-2015)
The data are in, and the numbers are unequivocal: the coast of North Carolina, and especially the northern part of the Outer Banks, is sinking into the sea…

Denying Sea-Level Rise: How 100 Centimeters Divided The State of North Carolina, By Alexander Glass and Orrin Pilkey (04-23-2013)

A Ridiculous Law Is Threatening The Future Of Coastal North Carolina Communities, Business Insider (12-09-2014)

The Word: Sink or Swim, The Colbert Report (06-06-2012)

Watching The Rising Tides Along North Carolina’s Coast, (11-15-2013)
Professor Robert Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and a professor of coastal geology at Western Carolina University, with North Carolina Public Radio host Frank Stasio, discussing the consequences of climate change and how rising sea levels have a strong effect on the beaches of North Carolina…

“North Carolina: The Beaches Are Moving,” A Video featuring Orrin Pilkey, PhD
World famous coastal geologist Orrin H. Pilkey takes us to the beach and explains why erosion has become a problem…

Sea Level Rise Accelerating In U.S. Atlantic Coast, USGS (06-25-2012)

NOAA Establishes Tipping Points for Sea Level Rise Related Flooding, NOAA (12-18-2014)
By 2050, a majority of U.S. coastal areas are likely to be threatened by 30 or more days of flooding each year due to dramatically accelerating impacts from sea level rise, according to a new NOAA study…

Latest Posts + Popular Topics