Washington Under Water

If climate change continues, coastal cities may drown. Even our Capitol may eventually be under water!

Current trends and predicted increases suggest that our nation’s capital is likely to face flooding and infrastructure damage in both the short- and long-term brought about by sea level rise, which is linked to thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of global ice sheets.

Short-term predictions suggest that sea level will rise 0.1 meters by the year 2043 and flood about 103 properties and other infrastructure, costing Washington, DC about $2.1 billion.

By 2150, 0.4 meters of sea level rise (SLR) is likely to impact 142 properties. For long-term effects, if sea level rise were to reach 5.0 meters, the study warns of significant damages in excess of $24.6 billion to commercial buildings, military installations, museums and a number of government agencies, including the FBI, the Justice Department, the IRS (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show), the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Education.

The study concludes, "Decisions must be made in the near future by lawmakers or city planners on how to reduce the impact of and adapt to SLR. A planned retreat is not an option when dealing with SLR in such an important area. A short-term solution, like creating a small flood barrier, may give the city time to examine this challenge and produce cost-effective solutions. Cost-effective methods to deal with SLR should be developed, and long-term solutions that extend well into this millennium are necessary."

We may not be brought down by terrorism (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show too), or by planes flying into the Pentagon. What may do us in is something that no politician wants to talk about: climate change.