Sea Level Rise

A Slow Tsunami on America's Shores

Orrin H. Pilkey, Keith C. Pilkey

• Publisher: Duke University Press Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781478006374, 9781478005063
• eBook ISBN: 9781478005124
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Environment & Energy Policy
• Index: Biological Sciences

The consequences of twenty-first-century sea level rise on the United States and its nearly 90,000 miles of shoreline will be immense: Miami and New Orleans will disappear; many nuclear and other power plants, hundreds of wastewater plants and toxic waste sites, and oil production facilities will be at risk; port infrastructures will need to be raised; and over ten million Americans fleeing rising seas will become climate refugees. In Sea Level Rise Orrin H. Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey argue that the only feasible response along much of the U.S. shoreline is an immediate and managed retreat. Among many topics, they examine sea level rise's effects on coastal ecosystems, health, and native Alaskan coastal communities. They also provide guidelines for those living on the coasts or planning on moving to or away from them, as well as the steps local governments should take to prepare for this unstoppable, impending catastrophe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Prologue
• 1. Flee the Sea: Climate Refugees
• 2. The End of the Inupiat Way of Life
• 3. Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise: Sunny Day Flooding
• 4. Dirty Waters and Worried Minds: Health Concerns in an Age of Climate Change
• 5. The Front Line in the Battle: The U.S. Military
• 6. At-Risk Coastal Environments: Is Resilience Futile?
• 7. The Environmental Impact of Surging Seas: Life at the Edge
• 8. Inundated Infrastructure: Imperiled Energy Facilities
• 9. Coastal Catastrophes: Cities on the Brink
• 10. Under Water: National Flood Insurance and Climate Gentrification
• 11. What You Can Do about Sea Level Rise
• Appendix A: Global Delta Population Displacement Potential by 2050
• Appendix B: The Economic and Environmental Price of Holding the Shoreline Still with Hard Stabilization
• Appendix C: Living with the Shore Book Series
• References
• Index