It appears that no matter what we do to curb carbon emissions,
Miami and
New Orleans will be lost for good within this century. Many parts of
New York City could become un-livable by 2085.
Other cities are at threat if we don't make major changes in carbon emissions. I don't know why, but it never really occurred to me that Sacramento would be at risk. Mostly because it's not on a coast. Many parts of Sacramento are only 23-to-30 feet above sea level, so a rise of 32 feet (as predicted in some climate models) would affect all or major areas of the city. Kansas City, at its' lowest elevation, is 690 feet above sea level.
Sacramento is in more danger than many parts of San Francisco, a coastal city.
Sea level rise will swallow Miami, New Orleans: study
MIAMI (AFP) - Say goodbye to Miami and New Orleans. No matter what we do to curb global warming, these and other beloved US cities will sink below rising seas, according to a study Monday.
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Scientists have already established that if we do nothing to reduce our burning of fossil fuel up to the year 2100, the planet will face sea level rise of 14-32 feet (4.3?9.9 meters), said lead author Ben Strauss, vice president for sea level and climate impacts at Climate Central.
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For cities like Miami and New Orleans, the limits are already exceeded.
"In our analysis, a lot of cities have futures that depend on our carbon choices but some appear to be already lost," Strauss said.
"And it is hard to imagine how we could defend Miami in the long run."
Miami's low elevation and porous limestone foundation mean that sea walls and levees will not help, he said.
The state of Florida has the most number of big cities at risk from sea level rise, holding 40 percent or more of the US population living on potentially affected land.
After Florida, the next three most affected states are California, Louisiana and New York.
One beloved landmark of American food culture and jazz music, New Orleans, is already sinking.
"New Orleans is a really sad story," Strauss said.
"It is a lot worse looking than Miami."
New York is also in peril, and under a worst-case scenario, the city could be un-livable by the year 2085, according to the study.
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A total of 14 cities with more than 100,000 residents could avoid locking in this century, including Jacksonville, Florida; Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach in Virginia; and Sacramento and Stockton in California.
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http://www.france24.com/en/20151012-sea ... eans-study
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.s ... rlean.html
http://choices.climatecentral.org/#12/4 ... treme-cuts