sea level rise
Summer hurricanes, wildfires and storms loom as FEMA faces pressure to step up
WASHINGTON — Another grueling summer disaster season is arriving, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is under intense pressure even as its portfolio balloons, it pleads for more money from Congress and criticism comes on several fronts. The agency manages more than 300 disaster declarations a year, a dramatic increase from the average of 108 disasters it responded to just a decade ago. For 2022, the disaster outlook is daunting.
The legislature’s environmental budget: What’s in it, how much, and why it matters to you
For the past 10 years, Republican-led majorities in the General Assembly have sacked the Department of Environmental Quality budget, apparent punishment for enforcing, even meagerly, state and federal environmental regulations. Yet, for the first time since 2017, the legislature's new proposed budget for DEQ exceeds $100 million.
New federal report: NC coast to see big surge in flooding as sea levels rise
A team of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released a new study entitled “2019 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2020 Outlook” and, as you probably could have guessed, the news isn’t great. The report predicts continued increases in flooding along the North Carolina coast as sea levels rise […]
Experts see a dire warning for North Carolina in new climate crisis numbers
State officials release "resilience plan," but political will remains in question In addition to deaths worldwide from COVID-19 and record unemployment, the globe surpassed another portentous record last month: The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached the highest ever recorded — 417.1 parts per million, according to an announcement yesterday by NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Report: As climate changes, expect wetter storms
If you’ve been following WRAL’s reporting this week, you’ve likely seen a series of fascinating pieces on climate change. It’s an appropriate topic these days. North Carolinians on the coast are still assessing the damage after Hurricane Dorian raked the Outer Banks this month. Researchers tell us that, as the climate changes in the coming […]
During hurricane season, luncheon will examine the future of NC’s shorelines
Join NC Policy Watch Thursday, September 17 for a very special and timely Crucial Conversation luncheon: Managing North Carolina’s increasingly vulnerable shorelines – now and in the decades ahead Featuring Prof. Rob Young of the Western Carolina University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines Click here to register It’s hurricane season yet again and […]
Monday numbers: Climate change likely to cost NC $34.8 billion – and that’s just for seawalls
In 2016, Hurricane Florence moved so slowly – more like a mosey, instead of a sprint – that it emptied trillions of gallons of rain over the same places for hours, even days. "At times I could have outrun" the storm, said scientist Jessica Whitehead, chief resilience officer for the state's Office of Resilience and Recovery, at a climate change summit in Havelock earlier this month.
Fayetteville Observer: Time to get serious about rising sea levels
Be sure to check out a new and on-the-money editorial today in the Fayetteville Observer about the hard reality posed by sea level rise, In “How long can we keep shoveling sand against the tides?” the authors explain that North Carolina beach communities are once more in the midst of their nearly annual effort to effect […]
Coastal expert: Florence could be “storm of record for North Carolina”
Professor Robert Young, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, has released a new document this afternoon that analyzes the potential storm surge that could impact North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Florence and it’s not a pretty picture. Young’s analysis shows that Florence could produce a […]
As conservative legislators ignore sea level rise, locals move ahead without them
There is a somewhat encouraging story on sea level rise that’s worth your time this week in a Wilmington-based Port City Daily. In “How the Wilmington area deals with rising seas and an increasing number of floods,” reporter Benjamin Schachtman explains how local officials are planning and preparing for the inevitable rising waters that will […]
Weekend editorials agree: NC must stop denying climate change and sea-level rise
Enough is enough: that’s the obvious conclusion of multiple weekend editorials from around North Carolina when it comes to conservative, head-in-the-sand denials of climate change and sea-level rise. With yet another major hurricane brewing in the Atlantic basin, the message delivered by the editorials is clear. It’s time to stop denying and staring doing something. […]
Climate change threatening coastal forests, including those in NC
The swamps, tidal forests and wetlands of coastal North Carolina are studded with the snags of bald cypress, swamp black gum and water tupelo trees. But climate change is threatening these woodlands, as rising seas push saltwater into freshwater wetlands and estuaries. A story published today by Yale Environment 360 says that saltwater intrusion is killing off […]