Posted on 2 August 2020 by John Hartz

Story of the Week...

Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds

As climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will push farther inland, a team of researchers says.

Bangladesh, above, is particularly at risk, along with Virginia and North Carolina in the United States, and parts of France, Germany, India and China. Credit: Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

As global warming pushes up ocean levels around the world, scientists have long warned that many low-lying coastal areas will become permanently submerged.

But a new study published Thursday finds that much of the economic harm from sea-level rise this century is likely to come from an additional threat that will arrive even faster: As oceans rise, powerful coastal storms, crashing waves and extreme high tides will be able to reach farther inland, putting tens of millions more people and trillions of dollars in assets worldwide at risk of periodic flooding.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, calculated that up to 171 million people living today face at least some risk of coastal flooding from extreme high tides or storm surges, created when strong winds from hurricanes or other storms pile up ocean water and push it onshore. While many people are currently protected by sea walls or other defenses, such as those in the Netherlands, not everyone is.

If the world’s nations keep emitting greenhouse gases, and sea levels rise just 1 to 2 more feet, the amount of coastal land at risk of flooding would increase by roughly one-third, the research said. In 2050, up to 204 million people currently living along the coasts would face flooding risks. By 2100, that rises to as many as 253 million people under a moderate emissions scenario known as RCP4.5. (The actual number of people at risk may vary, since the researchers did not try to predict future coastal population changes.)

Click here to access the entire article as originally posted on The New York Times website.

Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, June 30, 2020

Opinion of the Week...

It's time for America to reassert climate leadership. It starts with voting

Individual efforts are important, but we need collective action and systemic change. And we can only get that at the ballot

Jane Fonda at a protest calling attention to the climate crisis in Washington in January. ‘Your vote will reverberate for years.’ Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

In a world with so many problems, it’s easy to feel helpless. And particularly right now in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, quite alone. But even as we practice social distancing, we have an opportunity to work together to solve the greatest problem that humanity faces. No, I’m not talking about coronavirus. I’m talking about climate change.

As a climate scientist, I’m often asked what people can do about climate change, a problem so pervasive and impactful that literally all the rest of humanity’s problems play out upon its landscape. But there is no one specific answer, no magic bullet. Everyone has something different to contribute. And that’s the challenge. We must each find what we’re passionate about, capable of and good at. And we must all find our voice.

As a climate scientist, I’m often asked what people can do about climate change, a problem so pervasive and impactful that literally all the rest of humanity’s problems play out upon its landscape. But there is no one specific answer, no magic bullet. Everyone has something different to contribute. And that’s the challenge. We must each find what we’re passionate about, capable of and good at. And we must all find our voice.

Click here to acces the entire opinion piece originally published on TheGuardian website.

It's time for America to reassert climate leadership. It starts with voting, Opinion by Michael Mann, Comment is Free, Guardian, July 29, 2020

Toon of the Week...

Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page.

Coming Soon on SkS...

• We've been having the wrong debate about nuclear energy (Karin Kirk)
• Announcing a new partnership between SkS and Fakebook.eco.br (Baerbel)
• SkS New Research for Week #31 (Doug Bostrom)
• Scientists discover new ‘human fingerprint’ on global drought patterns (Daisy Dunne)
• Will Fusion Power solve Climate Change? (Climate Adam)
• 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32 (John Hartz)
• 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #32 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

SkS Week in Review... 

• Sun: 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #30 by John Hartz (SkS Original)
• Mon: Wildfires off to slow start in much of the West, but trouble expected starting in mid-July by Jeff Masters (Yale Climate Connections Repost)
• Tue: Why low-end ‘climate sensitivity’ can now be ruled out by Piers Forster, Zeke Hausfather, Gabi Hegerl, Steven Sherwood & Kyle Armour (Carbon Brief Repost)
• Wed: Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30, 2020 by Doug Bostrom (SkS Original)
• Thu: The Trump EPA is vastly underestimating the cost of carbon dioxide pollution to society, new research finds by Dana Nuccitelli (Yale Climate Connections Repost) 
• Sat: 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #31 by John Hartz (SkS Original)