Sea Level Rise
While scientists continue to study rising sea levels, research has found that land on the densely populated East coast is also sinking, making it a “global hot spot for a rising sea level over the coming century.” Coastal communities are beginning to look for answers, and city planners remain uncertain about how bad it will get—and how fast.
RFF’s Roger Cooke notes that his method for developing “structured expert judgment” can help quantify uncertainty—and it has also been applied specifically to questions about sea level rise. (More on this can be seen in an RFF First Wednesday Seminar, “Ice Sheets on the Move”). In the meantime, RFF’s Carolyn Kousky suggests an option for climate-ready coastal development that “allows us to enjoy all the ocean has to offer, and yet reduces the risks” of oceanfront flooding.
Strategies for Sustainable Businesses
A recent op-ed in The Guardian said that businesses interested in embedding sustainability practices can “effect radical change through their greatest asset: their workforce.” However, in a new issueof Resources magazine, RFF’s Jim Boyd writes that often environmental behaviors are still motivated by profit. He writes: “Conservationists can focus their advocacy around new, reformed, or expanded government policies to internalize a broader suite of environmental costs on businesses, regulate or prohibit activities at odds with conservation goals, or subsidize desirable conservation behaviors.”
