4 ms·

Because with the most extreme prediction the sea will only rise 160cm by 2100 which is really only a bit of shoreline lost for the current property owners. It

by izend 8y ago

Because with the most extreme prediction the sea will only rise 160cm by 2100 which is really only a bit of shoreline lost for the current property owners. It will take 1000 years of melting to meet the Hollywood style sea level rise.

atoav 8y ago
The earth has potential for over 100m of sea level rise, but it wont happen at an instant. but for many places 1 meter more with a huge wave a day could already become a problem
hnick 8y ago
Yes - such a slow rise can be managed in developed nations, along with some erosion. The major issue will be storm surges and other events.
- kijin 8y ago
  Japan has been surrounding itself with huge concrete walls to fend off tsunamis. They're obviously unsightly, but I wouldn't be surprised if other developed countries eventually adopted the same solution to sea level rise. Humanity is pretty good at building walls around itself; it's not so good at enduring a bit of inconvenience right now to prevent disaster later. https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-the-tsunami-japan-sea-walls-in-pictures https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-...
  - flukus 8y ago
    How do they let water out? Most major cities are built on rivers/harbors, not letting them drain into or be connected to the ocean would cause a swathe of other problems. In many places the ground itself is quite porous (not sure on the statistics of how many major cities), so barriers like that can't work unless you build them down to the bedrock.
    - kijin 8y ago
      If there's a river, a large section of it must be surrounded with a wall, too. New Orleans did exactly that. Many other coastal cities already have levees around their rivers to prevent seasonal flooding, and there's even a whole country in Europe that is famous for being below sea level, so there's nothing new here. The walls are not even noticeable when there are even taller buildings nearby. Smaller streams, leakage, and sewage can be pumped out mechanically. The harbor will also have to remain outside of the wall. In the event of a tsunami, any boat left in the harbor will be toast. It's a cost that the city is willing to bear in order to protect the majority of its residents from an existential threat. If what you're worried about is sea level rise, not a tsunami, then the harbor is not a problem at all. You just build the harbor higher so it stays above the new sea level. The massive concrete backside of the harbor could even form a section of the wall.

by izend 8y ago

atoav 8y ago

The earth has potential for over 100m of sea level rise, but it wont happen at an instant. but for many places 1 meter more with a huge wave a day could already become a problem

hnick 8y ago

Yes - such a slow rise can be managed in developed nations, along with some erosion. The major issue will be storm surges and other events.

kijin 8y ago
Japan has been surrounding itself with huge concrete walls to fend off tsunamis. They're obviously unsightly, but I wouldn't be surprised if other developed countries eventually adopted the same solution to sea level rise. Humanity is pretty good at building walls around itself; it's not so good at enduring a bit of inconvenience right now to prevent disaster later. https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-the-tsunami-japan-sea-walls-in-pictures https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-...
- flukus 8y ago
  How do they let water out? Most major cities are built on rivers/harbors, not letting them drain into or be connected to the ocean would cause a swathe of other problems. In many places the ground itself is quite porous (not sure on the statistics of how many major cities), so barriers like that can't work unless you build them down to the bedrock.
  - kijin 8y ago
    If there's a river, a large section of it must be surrounded with a wall, too. New Orleans did exactly that. Many other coastal cities already have levees around their rivers to prevent seasonal flooding, and there's even a whole country in Europe that is famous for being below sea level, so there's nothing new here. The walls are not even noticeable when there are even taller buildings nearby. Smaller streams, leakage, and sewage can be pumped out mechanically. The harbor will also have to remain outside of the wall. In the event of a tsunami, any boat left in the harbor will be toast. It's a cost that the city is willing to bear in order to protect the majority of its residents from an existential threat. If what you're worried about is sea level rise, not a tsunami, then the harbor is not a problem at all. You just build the harbor higher so it stays above the new sea level. The massive concrete backside of the harbor could even form a section of the wall.