Miami coping with rising sea level and land sinking

World Today

Miami coping with rising sea level and land sinking

More Paris Climate Accord fallout in the U.S. as over 60 mayors are vowing to ignore President Trump’s climate change policies, including the mayor of Miami Beach, Florida.

Extreme high tides and hurricane storm surge are a constant concern for the island city.  CGTN’s Sean Callebs reports from Miami.

Miami Beach, along the southern tip of Florida doesn’t have to worry about the negative effects climate change can bring. It’s already coping with serious issues from sea level rise, and land subsidence.

The traffic pattern is a maze of detours, chiefly because city officials are taking the dramatic step to actually raise low-lying roads about one-meter.

More than a year ago Purdy Avenue was elevated about a meter. Kenneth Diaz, who works at Panther Coffee, facing the street had a front row seat to the dramatic change.

Many businesses, once at street level, now look up to asphalt and traffic.While managers at Pub-Belly wouldn’t talk on camera, they say their restaurant floods.

Whether it’s additional seawall, in Miami Beach, or new high rises going up in the downtown area – it is hard not to notice all the new construction in southern Florida. The researchers and scientists we talked with, say they hope engineers are taking the future into consideration. While flooding may be a problem in 2017 – they predict by 2100 – it could be catastrophic.

Scientists are putting together maps to show how flooding is expected to swamp much of the area by the middle of the century.
Within the next 85 years they predict sea level could rise close to two meters. Much of Miami would be under water creating as many as two-million climate refugees.

The option now is spending millions and millions on flood walls, improved pumps, and raising streets.

Left unchecked scientists say climate change will catch up with the hip, deco area. The only question, is just how soon?