I Call BS

Maryland estimate for seawalls against rising tides: $27 billion

A third bridge to get more cars and trucks across the Chesapeake Bay, wider highways to move traffic along the Capital Beltway — those might be the ambitions of Maryland’s road-warrior governor, but they are fanciful luxuries compared to what could be the major infrastructure demand facing the state in the decades ahead: Seawalls to protect thousands of homes, businesses and farmlands, from Ocean City to Baltimore, at a cost of more than $27 billion.

And that’s a modest estimate based on moderate sea-level rise, according to a study from a team of engineers and geodata specialists who examined climate-change trends along the U.S. coast.

Ten Chesapeake counties could face the biggest seawall expenses before 2040 — $6.5 billion in Dorchester alone, the report says — and that does not include the costs of adapting or building new stormwater and drinking water systems. It does not include the costs of raising and repairing roads, extinguishing wildfires, replenishing beaches, building community cooling centers and air-conditioned public housing, dealing with droughts or recovering from extreme storms.

The report did not address the option of moving homes and businesses away from areas likely to frequently flood. It focused simply on the construction of seawalls.

Yes, people adapt, rather than using the most expensive possible option. If people see economic (or even emotional) reasons for protecting the land, they will. See the Netherlands.

So who is telling us this?

The study came from the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a Washington-based organization with an international reach. It focuses on environmental policy and helping governments address the challenges of climate change. The IGSD has partnerships with the United Nations and universities. It claims no corporate affiliations.

The report on the costs of seawalls came out of an IGSD initiative called the Center for Climate Integrity. The report was released June 20, just a day after the Trump administration reversed federal rules designed to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions. Carbon emissions have caused climate change, and climate change is a direct cause of sea-level rise. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science predicts that levels around the state could rise anywhere from a foot to seven feet by the end of the century. It depends on how much carbon dioxide the world puts into the atmosphere, and researchers use different carbon-emission scenarios in their studies. Based on current trends, UMCES predicts about 7 inches of rise by 2030 and 1.2 feet by 2050.

Certainly, an absolutely non-biased source. /sarc

As usual, I will show how sea level is actually rising in Maryland:

Three mm/year, about the thickness of a 1 and a half nickels, with no evidence for any increase in the rate of sea level rise:

Yes, people will, rarely, have to move residences away from the rising water, but the problem is no worse now than it was back in my great grandfather's day. Could the water start rising faster? Well it could, I suppose, but until I see evidence of an increase in the rate at which the sea is rising has significantly increased, I'm unconcerned. Besides, 50 ft of sea level rise would put my boat slip conveniently into my back yard.