National Geographic, Sea Level Rise, and Virginia’s Coasts: Part II: Navigating Economic Impacts and Solutions

Coastal Virginia:

“Tim Folger’s popular National Geographic article focuses on the dangers of sea level rise across the planet, to which Virginia’s coasts will also be vulnerable. In addition to demonstrating that our planet’s coasts will be vulnerable, Folger goes on further to point out the economic risks rising seas pose and possible solutions for mitigating those risks.

Folger thinks sea level rise is no longer a secret or something we can keep denying, but rather he thinks it’s a reality we will all need to face sooner or later.  As discussed in Part I of this Blog article, while Folger did not discuss the risks for Virginia specifically, the Virginia coasts are not immune to rising seas.  In fact, Virginia’s expansive low-lying coast with a consistently increasing population make the risks of sea level rise a very serious threat.  Further, the economic impacts of sea level rise Folger points to are equally true for Virginia’s coasts.

What remains unclear is whether the solutions being looked at by New York City, New Orleans, and the Netherlands are also solutions for Virginia’s coasts.”

~Writes Kelsey Baack of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic

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