Accelerating Ocean Rise Will Flood 38% of US Population by 2050

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Water from the Greenland ice sheet flows through heather and peat during unseasonably warm weather on Aug. 1, 2019. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Linda Kaidan

Above photo Greenland Ice Sheet Melting( InsideClimateNews.org Bob Berwyn)

We’ve been doing a lousy job of predicting the effects of climate change on our planet.

We underestimate anticipated damage and have insufficient relief available on a national scale. 

Data from NOAA.gov and the US Census tells us that 127 M/334 M  or 38% of US Citizens live in coastal counties.

They are in serious danger of coastal flooding in the near future. 

In 2023 New York State is leading the nation on per capita Gross Domestic Product with $87,457. MA follows with $84,651 and WA with $80,708. In comparison, FL Per Capita GDP was reported as $49,053, and TX  $58,102.  (reported by worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/gdp-by-state).

The Great Depression of 1929-1939 was an economic apocalypse on a worldwide scale.

People were starving and homeless. The USA Work Program was created to give people paid jobs. People who joined the WPA improved public infrastructure while learning valuable skills. They built state parks, schools, and roads. 

We should have a New York State work/training program that educates people, creates infrastructure, and offers paid jobs.

We are sorry that rich people in NYC’s wealthy suburbs voted against creating ADU-type housing during this climate change crisis. A work-training-infrastructure program at our state or national level can make our future much brighter.

Phys.org (The American Geophysical Union) predicts that the collapse of the Greenland Ice sheet is imminent

It will raise the sea level by 23 ft when completely melted.

Let’s Plan on Preparing

Last April, Harold Warnless of The Guardian, anticipated a two-foot rise by  2040 and a 3-foot rise by 2050. I bet most people are NOT prepared for this! We must be ready by moving away from the coast and by having national and state programs that will help us maintain a healthy economy and provide self-sufficiency and adequate education and infrastructure.
Let’s do better!

Author: herkimerblog

This blog is my perspective on dwelling in our small village nestled among beautiful forests, farms and open landscapes. Educated in Israel and the US, I have an MS in Computer Science. My viewpoint has been shaped by world travel, friends and benefactors both strangers and people I know. Linda Kaidan