Miami Beach Chapter Summary

People living in Miami are in the face of danger, and for the most part they are not aware of it. Due to high population, Miami is the fourth largest city to become affected by sea level rise. (Ankum et al.) In the next 32-50 years, sea level is expected to rise by as much as two feet. (Ankum et al.) This two-foot rise will have detrimental effects on the urban settings of Miami. The amount of soil erosion that is undergoing at our beaches will greatly increase if a two-foot rise occurs. At a four-foot rise, road connectivity would begin to become affected. At a six-foot rise, Southern Florida would no longer be habitable as it would, for the most part, be underwater. Not much is being invested in mitigation efforts, most of what is being done are short term solutions. Instead of coming up with ideas to prevent and try to slow down the effects of climate change on our environment, we are focusing on ideas such as building up a sea wall, relocating power plants, and redesigning structures.

Since 1880, records show that the sea level has bone up 8 inches. If it goes up six more inches, as the current studies indicate could happen within 20 years, South Florida’s flood control would be devastated. In South Florida, taxpayers are already paying the price for climate change as salt-water pushes through porous bedrock into coastal drinking-water supplies, and rivers and canals choked by heavy rains have a harder time draining into the ocean.

Miami, Florida experiences a great amount of natural disasters; however, one of the largest disasters Miami fears is affects of global change. Rising global temperatures scares most environmentalist in the Miami area, because rising temperatures results in rising sea levels. So, what is the problem with rising sea levels? Well, environmental specialist has made predictions that the rising sea levels could submerge the beaches of Miami.

Dutch expert Henk Ovink once told New Times that “Miami will no longer be a land city, but a city in the sea.” (Weiss, 2015). There has been a rise of 10 inches in sea levels in the 19th century. As of today, the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico of the United States are the two areas that are more prone to sea level rises (Infographic, n.d.). Miami is the fourth-largest population in the world that is susceptible to this predicament. On top of that, it seems that floods are becoming more frequent and more damaging than ever. It is estimated by the end of the century, Miami can get another rise of 6 to 10 feet of water (McKie, 2014). There are clear signs of the tides taking effect in the city. Homes and shops are being surrounded by water in

Pierre-Louis, K. (2017, April 17). As sea levels rise, where will all the people go? Retrieved April 13, 2018, from

Miami-Dade County in Florida has long been a national famous spot for the risk of sea level rise and the amount of exposed assets. According to the National Wildlife Federation report, Miami is facing up to a $3.5 trillion loss by 2070, due to sea level rising caused by climate change . Global sea levels are raised by warming oceans, melting glaciers and ice sheets. Water can reach any level through various combinations of tide, storm surge and sea level rise. The common elevation above the local high tide line is dynamically set to be three feet based on historical average of the highest tide level each day from 1983 to 2001. Land below three feet in Miami is facing high coastal risk and social vulnerability for a 73 percent risk of at least

Sea level has risen 3.4 mm per year due to climate change. This can have devastating effects on humans, plants and animals, and their habitats. Climate change has become a colossal problem considering it can leave countless humans stranded or starving, that are in need of assistance. It has also caused distrust or rifts between countries over who caused it and whose responsibility it is to pay for the damages it has caused. The economy of places on earth will be suspected to plummet as a result of rising sea levels and temperatures provoking animals to relocate and countries to lose their major exports, or suffer from the increase in prices for their imported goods. The U.N. believes that this is problem is in need of a solution. The world

In the past few years there has been a rise in the sea level surrounding the state. According to a new study by Lead author ,Benjamin Strauss, “Miami and Hollywood are two of the dozens of coastal cities in the U.S. predicted to be washed away by rising sea levels this century.” This means that half of the immensely populated cities in South Florida such as: Miami, Hollywood, and many more will be feet under water. This will cause hundreds of thousands of residents to migrate else where to find new areas and homes to accommodate their needs. It has even been mentioned that other places such as New Orleans are too late to save. The only logical causes behind these discoveries would be the pending disasters of climate change. The rising temperatures from the atmosphere are melting down the massive chunks of ice in Antarctica causing world wide flooding. Major continents such as Asia will suffer massive losses of land as well as population wise. From what we know deforestation is not the leading probable cause of this. As stated before the plankton in our oceans are being lost at a much more alarming rate than any land plant specie. When humanly causes such as dead zones occur from excessive sewage pollution along with other factors that prohibit the required amount of oxygen to be produced to support most marine life in bottom of the ocean, the effects are

Decades of research suggest that sea-levels are rising, and will continue to rise as a result of climate change. This rise will have the most immediate and significant impact on

In just a few short decades, the island has lost over 90 percent of its landmass. Channels cut by companies to assist in oil and logging operations made the island more vulnerable to the effects of flooding and the assault of hurricanes and other storms. The result has been massive subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and land simply disappearing beneath the sea as sea levels rise due to global wrming.

Cities in Florida also lack the technology, money and manpower to keep back the seas by themselves (“Sea rise”, 2015). Despite warnings from water experts and climate scientists about risks to cities and drinking water, skepticism over sea-level projections and climate-change science has hampered planning efforts at all levels of

The question of whether or not climate change is taken seriously by powerful government officials is at the root of the problem. Poor funding for infrastructure mitigation techniques can bottleneck preparation efforts. The combination of growing populations and increased development in coastal cities has increased the vulnerability and potential for loss of life and property (Urbina, E., & Wolshon, B. 2003). Environmental experts project sea levels to increase by more than 2.5 feet over the next four decades (Coastal Care 2014) and if not properly managed right now, this could put around 800,000 people’s homes underwater in the event of another super storm. In a U.S. Commerce Department report (Commerce 2013) it projected a staggering 72 billion USD in combined damages for New York and New Jersey during the storm.

The rising sea level in Miami has giving bad impacts to the people of the city mainly during the coming of high spring and autumn tides. When there is very strong wind, the storm surge will be produced as the wind push water to the inland. This occurrence causes the tidal surges overflow the Florida coast and hit the Miami Beach’s west coast. Then, it went

Flood-proofing infrastructures from potential risks is another of Boston’s reactions towards rising sea levels, as well as floating and elevating buildings (“Sea Change: Boston Exhibition”). The article “Sea Change: Boston Exhibition” simplifies the steps of action as “fortify,” “adapt,” and “retreat.” These three simple words are key concepts within this momentous environmental conversation. Flood-proofing buildings is a mode of fortifying because Bostonians will

Rising sea levels are caused by the melting of ice which is from the raising temperature in the atmosphere. When the ocean water rises land begins to disappear which puts not only the risk of land not being there, but the risk of the people living there. In the article “Global Warming Impacts” written by a group called, union of concerned scientist write “Global warming is now accelerating the rate of sea level rise, increasing flooding risks to low-lying communities…”. The people that this will be affected are low-lying communities and one of those communities is the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are located near the equator in the pacific ocean and close to being sea level. Since the temperature has been warming up so much, some parts of this island are being flooded. People there are concerned. Many of the locals aren’t just concerned with their island vanishing, but with their island their culture. New York Times interviewed Linber Anej who has lived on Marshall Islands his whole life, went to a conference in Paris representing his island's concern of having to leave their homes saying “It does not make sense for us to go to Paris and come back with something that says, ‘In a few years’ time, your country is going to be underwater. We see the damage occurring now. We’re trying to beat back the sea.”. What basically is being told is that instead of trying to bring awareness to the Marshall Islands they are just giving them a solution of where they can go after they lose