Sea Level Rise

Orrin H. Pilkey is James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Geology at Duke University and the author and coauthor of numerous books, including The Last Beach, also published by Duke University Press.Keith C. Pilkey is an administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration. He is coauthor, with Orrin H. Pilkey, of Global Climate Change: A Primer, also published by Duke University Press.

“This is a compelling history of the near-future. Read it to understand the pressures that will shape our planet as the century wears on-and read it as a reminder that we must act now to keep things from getting worse than they must.” - Bill McKibben, author of (Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?) “For decades the Pilkeys have been unafraid to provide straight talk about the reality of our tense relationship with the coast, whether it's the nature of our highly dynamic coastal landscape, the impacts of shoreline armoring, or the reality of climate change. Here they provide a clear-eyed and sober view of America's future with rapidly rising seas and how woefully unprepared we are for what very well might be our nation's biggest challenge.” - Chad Nelsen, CEO, Surfrider Foundation "Sea Level Rise is written in direct, nontechnical language that’s absent of dramatic innuendo and is full of information and documentation regarding the anticipated effects of a rising sea level. Ignoring its message could have severe consequences." - Barry Silverstein (Foreword Reviews) "Careful, thoughtful, conservative - and profoundly disturbing." - Ben Steelman (Wilmington Star-News) "[Orrin Pilkey and Keith Pilkey] identify the legal, political and financial decisions required to cope with sea level rise as it threatens nearly every aspect of American life, including commerce and shipping, the military, tourism and the design and functioning of major cities. The sober assessment questions whether the recent trend toward building resilient coastal communities is even possible." - Debbie Elliott (NPR) "[The] approach of highlighting specific communities allows the authors to effectively communicate that just as geographic regions may be differently impacted, as a function of their particular coastal morphology and through the effects of local geologic processes such as subsidence, different reactions may be generated within communities sharing specific regional cultures. . . .  Recommended. All readers." - J. Schoof (Choice)

• AcknowledgmentsPrologue1. Flee the Sea: Climate Refugees2. The End of the Inupiat Way of Life3. Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Sunny Day Flooding4. Dirty Waters and Worried Minds: Health Concerns in an Age of Climate Change5. The Front Line in the Battle: The U.S. Military6. At-Risk Coastal Environments: Is Resilience Futile?7. The Environmental Impact of Surging Seas: Life at the Edge8. Inundated Infrastructure: Imperiled Energy Facilities9. Coast Catastrophes: Cities on the Brink10. Under Water: National Flood Insurance and Climate Gentrification11. What You Can Do about Sea Level RiseAppendix A. Global Delta Population Displacement Potential by 2050Appendix B. The Economic and Environmental Price of Holding the Shoreline Still with Hart StablizationAppendix C. Living with the Shore Book SeriesReferencesIndex