As Floridians continue to wrap their heads around the disturbing ramifications of climate change, a slew of studies have been trickling out, placing numbers on the impending war against global warming.
In a study published this week by Nature Climate Change, they found some eye-opening figures concerning the Sunshine State and the country.
- More than 6 million Floridians could be at risk under a "worst-case scenario." That number is triple the initial estimates.
- Florida is the state with not only the most property at risk but also the most people.
- Anywhere from 4 million (three-foot rise) to 13 million (six-foot rise) people, are projected to be living in coastal cities that are expected to flood by 2100, depending on how much sea level rises.
- A study last year conducted by the Risky Business Project found the value of at-risk property in Florida to be an estimated $69 billion. The more recent research considers those numbers are too conservative because they don't take into account growth -- in the number of people and real estate development.
"In terms of sheer number of people living in harm’s way [South Florida] is way at the top basically," said Stetson University ecologist Jason Evans, one of three co-authors of the paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change. "It just pops out.
- Nature Climate Change Study [Nature]
- Sea rise could force millions in Florida to adapt or flee, study finds [Miami Herald]
- Climate Change Coverage [Curbed Miami]