A new article in the Los Angeles Times describes the effects that sea level rise is having on California coastal communities. Sea level rise of greater than 9 feet could occur by the end of this century, in comparison with less than 9 inches in the last 100 years.
An article published in the San Francisco Chronicle today underscores the urgent need for action to address sea level rise on the Bay Area's 400 miles of shoreline, the costs of which could approach $100 billion over time. The article highlights some of the innovative financing and regulatory developments that have occurred to facilitate adaptation actions, with a specific focus on wetland restoration to create buffers against rising seas.
A recent article in Fortune describes the measures that Swiss Re, the world's largest re-insurance company, are taking to adapt its business model to the realities of climate change and to divert its investments and insurance away from dirty, risky industries such as coal.
An article posted in the New York Times this week highlights the alarming rate of climate-vulnerable development occurring across the country and the measures that cities are taking to combat it, including imposing new rules on developers on building homes in floodplains, providing financial assistance for rebuilding in the wake of a storm, and rejecting proposed developments in floodplains outright.
In December 2019, the California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released a new report entitled "Preparing for Rising Seas: How the State Can Help Local Coastal Adaptation Efforts". The report acknowledges that the State has a vested interest in protecting California's coastline, but places most of the responsibility for sea level rise preparation on local governments, as most coastal property is owned either privately or by local governments.
Today at the BARC Governing Board meeting, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) announced proposed changes to the region's Water Quality Control Plan, known as the Basin Plan, to better protect shorelines from sea level rise, storm surges, and flooding.
The proposed measures emphasize greener, more natural solutions, and including strategic placement of sediment to replenish and maintain marshes, changing levees to allow marsh migration to higher elevations, and utilizing gravel to protect the shoreline without harming the ecosystem.
An article in the Los Angeles Times today reported on the massive investments in climate change resilience that state lawmakers across the country are pursuing to mitigate the effects of natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, including wildfires, flooding, hurricanes,
An article in the New York Times highlights the shared threat that both San Francisco and Manila, in the Philippines, face due to rising sea levels, while highlighting the different sets of circumstances and decisions that have amplified the vulnerabilities in each city.
An article posted in the New York Times today describes the choice that cities facing rising sea levels must make: agree to use eminent domain to force people out of flood-prone homes, or forfeit federal funds for combatting climate change.
Last week, BARC and its partners announced the release of Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) Bay Area, the first-ever regional comparison of the impacts of rising sea level on people, the environment, and the regional systems we rely on. This report provides a better understanding of where we are vulnerable and lays out a pathway to plan for the future.