Experts issue warning as new research reveals increasing threat to US coastal cities: 'Expected to accelerate in the next century'

Recent research from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science shows the effects of past and projected rising sea levels on American cities along the Gulf of Mexico's coastline and especially in states like Texas, where the rate of rise continues to accelerate.

What's happening?

The researchers measured changes across 36 different coastal locations, according to a late-May report from Newsweek, and found that many communities in Texas are at particular risk of flooding. The cities of Rockport, Galveston, and Port Isabel reflected some of the highest recorded rises: Each saw an increase above 5 millimeters in 2024, per the outlet.

"Warmer global temperatures are also causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt, adding additional water to the oceans," climate scientist Piper Wallingford of the Nature Conservancy told Newsweek. "Local conditions like topography and erosion can lead to faster or slower rates compared to the global average, but overall sea level rise is expected to accelerate in the next century."

Why are rising sea levels concerning?

As Molly Mitchell, an assistant professor involved in the VIMS research, said in a release about the new data, "Many people who live near the coast want to know what they can reasonably expect over the next few decades, giving them time to make actionable plans and decisions."

As coastal regions are the most immediately threatened by rising sea levels, residents and urban leaders will likely need to make adjustments to their infrastructure or risk losing homes and businesses to floodwaters and storm surges. 

Water-based damage can also take more insidious forms, such as the contamination of drinking water by overwhelmed storm drains or melting ice sheets, which can release long-frozen infectious microbes.

Rising sea levels — especially when coupled with the thermal expansion of ocean waters as their temperatures climb with atmospheric heat — can also supercharge extreme weather events that otherwise may not be quite as disastrous. 2024's Hurricane Helene, for instance, caused billions in damages and, tragically, over 240 casualties in the United States alone.

What's being done about rising sea levels?

As sea level rise is primarily caused by human activity — particularly in the form of burning dirty energy sources that produce heat-trapping carbon pollution — addressing our planet-warming behaviors is key to mitigating climate catastrophe. Cutting down on the use of fossil fuels and incentivizing clean energy alternatives could go a long way, especially when coordinated on a mass scale and at the global level. 

In the meantime, individuals and communities can take smaller, local actions to reduce carbon footprints and strengthen resilience to the effects of flooding and more. Indeed, the VIMS news release noted that the findings were intended to "aid planning and adaptation efforts."

Improving and using public transportation, for example, can be achieved through municipal programs and lifestyle changes, lowering the number of gas-powered cars on the road. And if intensified storms are a pressing concern in your area, disaster-proofing windows and installing emergency-ready solar panels in conjunction with battery systems may help residents withstand extended grid outages.

To increase the climate benefits of this kind of renewable and resilient infrastructure, organizing neighborhood support for pro-environment policies can be a force multiplier. Towns and cities around the world are making decisions to prioritize investments in projects that can protect vulnerable coasts and reduce destruction.

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