John Sommers II / Reuters
Sea-level rise driven by climate change is set to destroy U.S. coastal communities, according to new research, with as many as 311,000 homes facing floods every two weeks within the next 30 years. The rising oceans are set to repeatedly flood residences by 2045 if greenhouse-gas emissions aren’t severely cut, the experts warn. “The impact could well be staggering,” said Kristina Dahl, climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “This level of flooding would be a tipping point where people in these communities would think it’s unsustainable. Even homes along the Gulf Coast that are elevated would be affected, as they’d have to drive through saltwater to get to work or face their kids’ school being cut off. You can imagine people walking away from mortgages, away from their homes.” The UCS reached its findings by using data from a high sea-level rise scenario projected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and combining it with property data from online real-estate company Zillow.