Panel Warns Adaptation to Climate Change Will Be Necessary for Coastal Communities

As the U.S. Senate continues debate on climate change legislation to reduce carbon emissions, a panel of top experts at a Capitol Hill briefing co-sponsored by AAAS warned that coastal communities will be forced to adapt to climate change.

Even with effective mitigation efforts that drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, the current levels of atmospheric carbon commit the globe to consequences of climate change including severe weather, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification, the panel said.

Among the hardest hit will the coastal communities, they warned, which could experience property damage, loss of habitable and arable land, and regional economic disruption.

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19 November 2009