Climate Readiness Framework for Coastal Cities
Originally published on urbanoceanlab.org.
The urgent need for coastal cities to act on climate
As climate risks increase globally, so do risks to the 65 million people who live in U.S. coastal cities.1 Hurricanes, sea level rise, and extreme rainfall are already affecting U.S. coasts, with metropolitan areas being at high risk due to their outdated infrastructure, impervious surfaces, and increased development. Our physical, social, and economic well-being depends not only on cutting carbon emissions to prevent the worst climate impacts from occurring, but also on adapting to our changing world.
The U.S. coastal economy supports 58.3 million jobs and contributes $11 trillion annually in goods and services, or 43% of our total gross domestic product. Rising seas, storms, flooding, and erosion fueled by climate change exact a grim toll, both in terms of loss of life and damage to the economy. Resilience in coastal cities is also an issue of justice—nearly 60% of their residents are people of color, 50% are renters, 16% are living in poverty, and 13% are non-citizens—each higher than the corresponding national average— and climate impacts are disproportionately borne by historically disadvantaged communities.