"Sea Level Rise Now" News Digest

Article Synopsis – Alan Ojeda is CEO of the Rilea Group, which won a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council. Ojeda recently spoke at a resiliency conference in Miami. He explained that to prepare for sea level rise, buildings can be designed so they’re higher off the ground, but he also emphasized that developers should focus their attention on cutting emissions. He said the only thing that will stop sea level rise is cutting carbon emissions.
My Comment – I take great exception to this headline and a key point this developer makes. While this developer is exemplary and deserves recognition for designing a building in Miami to prepare for higher sea level and to be more energy efficient the emphasis is backwards. Energy efficiency in one building or one city will not slow sea level rise. It will take collective effort globally to slow the warming, which should be most urgent (See: Earth Day – call for wartime mobilization http://www.johnenglander.net/sea-level-rise-blog/earth-day-or-mobilize-for-world-war-3/ ). However, even if we achieve the goals to reduce the warming, the warmer oceans guarantee that polar ice on land will melt, raising global sea levels. That is now unstoppable. If we work hard to cut carbon emissions, the rate of sea level rise should eventually slow, perhaps reducing SLR this century from the 8 foot projection to half that. Either way, our coastal cities are not prepared. Therefore the most important thing for developers is to follow Ojeda’s example to design and build structures that can function with higher sea level and more frequent temporary flooding. To read the actual article click here.