Experts warn that beloved US coastal town could soon vanish off map entirely: 'I'm scared'

A new map has residents of a coastal Florida town concerned that, in the future, their city may not exist as they know it.

What's happening?

As WINK reported, new maps from nonprofit Climate Central show a troubling future for Cape Coral and other coastal towns in Florida.

Using government data and information from peer-reviewed scientific journals, Climate Central projected that a combination of sea level rise and increased flood risk could leave many coastal areas underwater by 2150.

By then, the organization said, Florida's average sea level could have risen by 3.6 feet, and annual flooding could raise the water level to 5.1 feet.

But the impacts could be felt much sooner. By 2050, Climate Central projected that 17,000 Florida homes will be at risk from annual floods, including 1,300 in Lee County, which includes Cape Coral.

"I'm scared. It's really weird. It's weird to think about," Cape Coral resident Trinity Garner told WINK. "It's weird to think about that it's not gonna be here when I'm gone."

Why are rising sea levels important?

Rising sea levels and increased flood risks are both among the potential catastrophic effects of human-caused pollution.

As we release more toxic, heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, global temperatures continue to reach heights never seen before. Warmer temperatures cause Arctic ice to melt and ocean water to expand, which in turn causes the sea levels to rise.

The global rate of sea level rise has more than doubled since 1993, and last year, ocean levels rose by nearly a quarter of an inch. The problem is even more pronounced in the southern United States, where sea levels are rising by roughly four-tenths of an inch per year.

A warmer planet also acts as "steroids" for weather. This means an increased frequency or severity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, which can also put coastal communities at risk.

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"The thing to do is to not look at a map like this and say, 'Oh, well, I've got 100 years,'" Florida SouthWestern State College earth science professor Joseph van Gaalen told WINK News. "The thing to do is to think about, 'OK, well, if this goes up a little bit in 10 years, what does that mean for (another) Hurricane Ian in 10 years?'"

What's being done to protect coastal communities?

Many communities are already taking action to protect vulnerable coastlines. But much of the necessary work is up to us.

The only way to ensure these communities stay above water is to prevent our planet from getting even warmer. This means making small changes, such as reducing our personal plastic use, and larger ones, like relying less on fossil fuels and more on clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

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