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

http://sealevel.climatecentral.org/

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!