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RISING SEAS SUMMIT
September 24-26, 2014Crown Plaza
1605 Broadway ● New York NY 10019
Report by Katherine Egland
Changes in sea level relative to land elevation in the United States between 1958-2008
Source: USGCRP (2009)
BREAKING DOWN SEA LEVEL RISING IN TERMS OF:
• WHO ? • WHAT ?• WHEN ?• WHY ?• HOW ?
WHO has acknowledged a rise in sea level? Proven science- not political
Independently Commissioned Studies ●Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)●Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)●National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
●Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)●The Third National Climate Assessment (NCA)●United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
WHO WILL BE IMAPCTED MOST?
• TOURISM INDUSTRIES
• FISHING INDUSTRY
• ALGRICULTURE INDUSTRY
• PORT INDUSTRIES
• HOUSING MARKETS
• PROPERTY TAX BASES
• LOW TO MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES
• COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
• SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS)
• IN THE AGGREGATE:
EVERYONE
WHO SHOULD BE CONCERNED?• More than 2 billion
people—an estimated 37% of the world’s population—living within 60 miles of the coast will be affected, directly or indirectly.
• WE MUST PREPARE NOW
EVERYONE
SEA LEVEL RISING IS A GLOBAL CONCERN
WHO PARTICIPATES IN THESE VITAL DISCUSSIONS?WHY ARE THE MOST AFFECTED RACIALLY & ETHNICALLY ABSENT ?
WHAT SHOULD WE DO TO ASSURE DIVERSITY PARTICIPANTS IN THIS CRITICAL DISCUSSION ?
• The interest of minority and low to moderate income communities must be represented.
●Having a seat at the discussion and decision making table is crucial. ●Without a seat at the table, your community’s destiny is decided by others. ●Your choice : A seat at the table or be an item listing on the menu?
WHAT COASTAL STATES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?
WHAT ARE CONTRIBUTING CAUSES OF RISING SEA LEVELS? Human Induced Global Warming…
• (Heat trapping gases)
• Burning of fossil fuels (oil and gas) emitting greenhouse gases- CO₂
• Cutting down tropical forests that would otherwise store CO₂ (Deforestation)
• Methane released from landfills
• Nitrous oxide from fertilizers
• Gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes
• Methane released digestive systems of grazing animals
• Natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CLIMATE WARMS?
THERMAL EXPANSIONMELTING OF LAND ICE, ICE SHEETS
AND GLACIERS-Thinning from both top and bottom
Adjusted from original graphic by GFSC/NASA
WHAT ARE THE CONCEQUENCES?• Shoreline erosion and
degradation• Amplified storm surges• Permanent inundation• Saltwater intrusion• Forced Migration• Economic Decline
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN MISSISSIPPI?• By 2099, scientists predict
that Mississippi could have as many as 150 days over 90ºF per year.
• Damage to the state's casinos from Hurricane Katrina cost $500,000 per day in lost tax revenue alone. As climate change causes storms to get more intense, Mississippi can expect even deeper losses.
47.80%
22.60%
26.60%
3.00%
Electricity by source:Natural Gas 47.8%Coal 26.6%Nuclear 22.6%Other 3%
Source: Climate Central
WHAT CAN THE MOST AT-RISK COASTAL AREAS EXPECT?
MIAMI IS ONE OF THE CITIES MOST VULNERABLE TO
SEA LEVEL RISING
New York’s Rockaway Peninsula in Queens was one of the hardest hit areas by Hurricane Sandy. Council Member Donovan Richards Jr. worked to rebuild after the destruction wrought by Super Storm Sandy. In response to the failures of agencies to address the needs of a vulnerable population, he sponsored legislation to track monies designated to rebuilding.
NEW YORK IS AT EVEN GREATER STORM FLOOD RISK WITH
FUTURE STORMS
WHEN WILL WE SEE CATASTROPIC RESULTS OF SEA LEVEL RISING?
?Difficult to measure: affected
by wind, atmospheric pressure, water temperature, and the configuration of the
coast
Globally, the sea is rising an estimated 3.3 millimeters per year:• 1 millimeter from melting
ice shelves on Antarctica and Greenland
• 1 millimeter from melting mountain glaciers
• 1.3 millimeters from the expansion of warming ocean water
WHERE WILL SEA LEVEL RISE HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT BY THE YEAR 2050?
• an added 0.5 meters (20 inches) of ocean water would put $28 trillion in assets at risk in the world’s 136 port megacities
• the expected maximum rise in sea level of 26 inches would threaten in five cities alone—Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Providence—assets worth about $7.4 trillion
Miami, FloridaNew York, New York*New Orleans, LouisianaTampa, FloridaBoston, MassachusettsGuangzhou, China Mumbai, IndiaNagoya, JapanShenzhen, China Osaka, Japan
Source: Harvard University Center for the Environment
WHY SHOULD THE NAACP BE CONCERNED?
• The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
• Human induced climate change discriminately and disproportionately impacts the ability of low-income and minority communities to adequately prepare and recover, violating basic, fundamental civil rights.
HOW HIGH WILL SEA LEVELS RISE?• Scientists are unsure
and predictions vary• Expectations are rise in
the oceans between 2.5 and 6.5 feet (0.8 and 2 meters) by 2100
• Variations of projection ranges and estimates due to differential factors
• Louisiana road washed out after Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Sea level rise is making storm surges higher and causing more erosion up and down the Southeast coasts.
Photo credit: LA1 Coalition
How are changes in sea level relative to land elevation in the United States between 1958-2008
Source: USGCRP (2009)
THE CHARGE• SEA LEVEL RISE ISN’T SIMPLY FLOODING- IT IS
PERMANENT SUBMERGENCE- WE MUST PREPARE
• MITIGATION WILL ONLY SLOW IT, NOT STOP IT• CURRENT RISE IN OCEAN LEVELS BY GLOBAL WARMING IS
IRREVERSABLE• EVEN IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY WE MUST ACT NOW
TO PREVENT FURTHER WARMING OF OUR PLANET AND OUR SEAS
• NAACP LEADERS SHOULD BE AT THE ADAPTATION PLANNING TABLES IN ALL OF OUR CITIES AND STATES MAKING SURE THAT THE INTERESTS OF THE MOST VULNERABLE/MARGINALIZED GROUP ARE SERVED
We all have a moral obligation to leave this world a better place than we found it
for future generations. We are the first
generation to deal with the affects of
climate change, but the last generation
to deal with it.
It is their FUTURE:PROTECT IT!