Sea Level Rise &
Social Justice
How will sea level rise affect human beings?
Ocean justice, as Ayana Elizabeth Johnson describes it, is where ocean conservation and issues of social equity meet: Who suffers most from flooding and pollution, and who benefits from conservation measures? As sea levels rise and storms intensify, such questions will only grow more urgent, and fairness must be a central consideration
How will sea-level rise affect human beings?
When the sea level rises, people will be affected in different ways, depending on where they live.
Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is the process by which local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast.
As global sea level rises, the action of waves at higher elevations increases the likelihood for extensive coastal erosion. Already, coastal erosion costs roughly $500 million per year for coastal property loss, including damage to structures and loss of land.
Wetland Flooding
Under normal conditions, wetlands can naturally keep pace with changing sea levels. In a process called accretion, plants trap sediment, which increases the elevation of the wetland’s surface.
However, because of climate change, many coastal wetland ecosystems are flooded by sea water due to higher rates of sea level rise. In other words, sea levels could rise faster than a wetland’s natural accretion rate and result in wetland flooding.
Aquifer and Agricultural Soil Contamination with Salt
As sea levels rise along the coasts, saltwater can move onto the land. Known as saltwater intrusion, this occurs when storm surges or high tides overtop areas low in elevation. It also occurs when saltwater infiltrates freshwater aquifers and raises the groundwater table below the soil surface.
As a result, many acres of farmland are lost every year but why and how does this happen? What issues do farmers face? Will this become another kind of food security issue?
Lost Habitat
Sea level rise is likely to have a dramatic impact on low-lying coastal and intertidal habitats—causing widespread flooding and accelerated coastal erosion. Ultimately, many coastal ecosystems may be lost or irreversibly altered.
Sea level rise poses a major threat to coastal ecosystems and the biota they support.
Flooding-forced Migration
Water-driven migration is a crucial challenge for people living in vulnerable and unstable regions. Water stress acts as a direct or indirect driver of conflict and migration. As water and climate extremes become worse, more people will face water crises and be forced to migrate.
Climate change disaster is not only a serious environmental issue but a social justice issue