“Sea-level Rise is the Defining Issue of the Century”
Great Headline for a great editorial. For the first time ever, all three major South Florida newspapers published the same piece on their Editorial Pages today.
If there ever was an existential issue for South Florida that called upon the competing media to reinforce a message, rising sea level is it. I have been aware of their plans for months and was pleased to serve as a resource for this ground-breaking project. Nonetheless I can say that the depth and clarity of this kick-off editorial surprised even me. After lengthy study, the Editorial leaders of these four separate organizations have come to realize that there is apathy about this critical challenge because there is poor understanding. In their own words:
To that end, the editorial boards of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post — with reporting help from WLRN radio — are joining hands in an unprecedented collaboration this election year to raise awareness about the threat facing South Florida from sea-level rise. In drumbeat fashion, we plan to inform, engage, provoke and build momentum to address the slow-motion tidal wave coming our way. Sea-level rise is the defining issue of the 21st Century for South Florida. Some of us might not live long enough to see its full effects, but our children and grandchildren will. To prepare for a future that will look far different, we’ve got to start planning and adapting today.
To quote some highlights from this initial editorial:
- No graver threat faces the future of South Florida than the accelerating pace of sea-level rise. In the past century, the sea has risen 9 inches. In the past 23 years, it’s risen 3 inches. By 2060, it’s predicted to rise another 2 feet, with no sign of slowing down. Think about that. Water levels could easily be 2 feet higher in 40 years. And scientists say that’s a conservative estimate. Dramatic change is decades not centuries away.
- Because of melting ice sheets and how oceans circulate, there’s a chance South Florida’s sea level could be 3 feet higher by 2060 and as much as 8 feet by 2100, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Of the 25 American cities most vulnerable to sea-level rise, 22 are in Florida...not all along the coast, either. Along with New York City and Miami, the inland cities of Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs and Miramar round out the top five.
- Flooding also is increasing in South Florida’s western communities — like Miami-Dade’s Sweetwater and The Acreage in Palm Beach County — because seawater is pushing inward through our porous limestone
- The problem is, we’re not convinced sea-level rise will harm us in our lifetimes. We’ve got to change that mindset because it already is.
- But local leaders fear scaring people and damaging our economy.
- At the federal level, little leadership is being shown on the threat of sea-level rise.
- In Tallahassee–the state capital– the issue wasn’t on the Legislature’s agenda, partly because of the politics of climate change and partly because term limits create a revolving door of lawmakers who focus on today’s hot buttons, not tomorrow’s existential threats.
The three newspapers have created a shared website for this project, The Invading Sea, www.invadingsea.com where you can read the full text. It is also online and in the print version of each of the newspapers.
Needless to say I am delighted to be a part of this amazing effort to inform the public about “the defining issue of the century.”
Bravo to the editors for such clear coverage of this topic !