Sea-level rise and growing coastal populations a “unique train wreck”
The Daily Press, a newspaper in Newport News, Virginia, interviewed John Rummel, director of the Institute for Coastal Science and Policy at East Carolina University, who described sea-level rise and growing coastal populations as a “unique train wreck.”
Rummel describes the escalating costs of repairing or replacing storm damaged infrastructure in the Outer Banks, a 200-mile (320-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, is escalating. Why do communities spend millions to rebuild, when they must know another disaster is not only inevitable, but becomes more likely each year? “There is too much money invested in coastal properties, which are an important source of tax revenue, to retreat from them, he said.” He goes on to suggest, “localities should consider low-impact uses, such as eco-tourism, as opposed to heavy infrastructure.”
A couple more choice quotes from the article:
“It’s going to take a couple of disasters to make people think about this.”
“We can’t stop the sea but we can have it work for us.”
(Via the Sea Level Rise Foundation Google Group)