40% of the U.S. population line our coasts. That equates to approximately 130 million people residing in coastal counties. In addition to those who retire seaside, entire economies are integrated into the coastal industries of fishing, tourism, energy, shipbuilding, and recreation. Even a cursory glance using google maps shows how tightly clustered the built space is, all on only 10% of the total U.S. land mass. Shoreline communities have five times the population density as compared to the U.S. average.

That population and infrastructure, particularly along the Southeastern coasts, have witnessed a growing pattern of weather disasters in the form of hurricanes, the intensity and frequency of which have been growing due to climate change. The economic losses have been colossal: from 1980 to present-day they have totaled $2.915 trillion. In the last five years alone: Hurricane Helene – $80 billion; Hurricane Ian – $122 billion; Hurricane Ida – $75 billion. The largest, coming ashore at New Orleans, was Hurricane Katrina – $202 billion.

While hurricanes garner major media attention, the toll on coastal environments and communities from fundamental changes to the sea and air, inexorably mount day-by-day. High-tide flooding is now far more common, occurring twice as frequently as 20 years ago, and will equate to ten weeks of flooding by the year 2050 – and this will happen even with anticipated lowering of carbon emissions. The salt water increases act to prevent fresh water drainage furthering the flooding risk. The incursion of sea water is also contributing to the land sinking and exacerbates a trend led by extraction of underground fresh water, oil, and gas. Large ports, such as Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville, and the rails and roads that link to them are particularly vulnerable to coastal flooding and sea level rise.

Federal programs aimed directly at addressing coastal climate change impacts are scant. Under the NOAA there is the Coastal Zone Enhancement Program (CZEP), created in 1990, and responsible for improved management of wetlands, coastal hazards, public access, marine debris, and aquaculture. Even this inadequate program may be eliminated under the Trump administration which is looking to cut NOAA’s staff in half resulting in 6,000 employee reductions along with a $900 million cut in funding.

One of the goals of Biden’s Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) is to: “Accelerate nature-based solutions that protect and support coastal and ocean ecosystems to capture and store greenhouse gases.” Initiated in 2023, OCAP also wants to “enhance community resilience to ocean changes by developing ocean-based solutions that help communities adapt and thrive in our changing climate.” Marine conservation zones are part of the plan to restore coastal fish habitats and contribute to carbon sequestration. There is a framework to support communities that express interest in relocating their homes and businesses to higher, safer ground. The plan would draw upon Indigenous knowledge as well.

As with Biden’s Coastal Zone Program, the Trump administration will likely halt any and all OCAP actions. In line with his energy independence emphasis, Trump and his appointees are directing policies at commercial development along the coasts to include expanded offshore oil and gas drilling at the expense of coastal environment protections. We can expect further coastal degradation and a continuation of weather-related catastrophes.

Salt water intrusion into the fresh drinking water system poses a major threat to coastal communities. Globally, half a billion coastal residents are at significant risk of the salinization of groundwater systems, referred to as a kind of “slow poison.”

One stark example of a coastal community with contaminated water supply is Hilton Head, North Carolina. There, six of the city’s original twelve fresh water wells are no longer viable sources and have been shut-down due to saltwater intrusion. Along many locales on the Atlantic coast, saltwater is migrating inland at the rate of 400 feet per year. At great expense, the city is taking steps to build an alternative water source as it is expected that the remaining wells will meet the same fate within the next few years.

Nearby U.S. coastal waters are the First Nations communities in Canada. For tribes like the Inuit, their relationship to the sea and their fish catch are fundamental to their way of life. Sea level rise is already having an adverse effect on their nutrition, health, and cultural life.

Marine life itself is dying off at an alarming rate due to acidification of the saltwater along with the process of eutrophication. Over the last 150 years, the oceans acidity has increased 25% – more acidic than at any time in the last two million years. Ocean plants and animals cannot adapt. Immediate adverse impacts are felt by carbonate-based shells and skeletons, and in turn those animals that feed on them Though not directly related to climate change, dead zones are created under the process of eutrophication when the seawater becomes laden with too much nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers from farms and create huge algal blooms depleting the water of oxygen.

The most densely populated area to feel major climate change impacts along the U.S. coast was the New York City area in 2012. At that time, Hurricane Sandy came ashore damaging 90,000 buildings, causing power outages to 2 million residents and left a repair bill of $19 billion. “The hurricane exacerbated the challenges across the city,” said Jainey Bavishi, New York City’s Director of Recovery and Resiliency, “whether it would be inadequate infrastructure, lack of affordable housing, or existing environmental hazards”. Subways were under water and critical access to many hospitals was absent. Since that event, a special commission has been assembled to build a plan anticipating more intense hurricane activity.

As occurred in New York, sewage systems along coasts can and do overflow. Their pipes are designed to carry both rainwater and sewage, and with the adding pressure coming from saltwater their capacity is exceeded and raw sewage then can be added to the rising coastal flood waters that may in turn contaminate groundwater wells. Critical infrastructure is being compromised and will eventually collapse.

The former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo had specified that a portion of Biden’s IRA funding was earmarked for coastal impacts. “As part of our more than $2.6 billion investment in regional coastal resiliency and conservation projects, we will be dedicating $390 million directly to Tribal priorities for habitat restoration and bolstering fish populations, and supplying crucial funding to ensure our coastal communities are better prepared for the effects of climate change.” An additional $562 million came in the form of Climate-Ready Coasts to help coastal communities prepare for natural disasters.

Hurricanes and other weather events aside, each year there is a gradual coastal erosion responsible for roughly $500 million in property losses. Remedies such as the building of hard structures to keep the shoreline position stable are still subject to scour. There are government sponsored “beach nourishment” programs that do little to stem the tide. Over 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands are lost annually – seven football fields an hour.

In spite of all evidence-based climate change data on impacts to coastal regions, more people are moving and investing in coastal areas. There is a trillion-dollar property market and many hankering for a sea view. At the same time, insurers are either cutting back on the number of policies they will issue or are pulling out altogether. Farmers Insurance no longer offers policies in Florida and AIG has stopped insuring along Florida’s coast. In California, State Farm and Allstate are not selling new policies in high-risk areas. This trend is the same in Texas and Louisiana. For those residing along the coast who have policies, they are paying four times the national average. Ultimately, it may take the total uninsurability of properties coupled with another “Katrina” to force coastal residents to pull back and relocate, much less to vote for policies in line with climate change realities.