Surviving and Thriving Face Rising Seas

The report identifies 'climate equity hotspots' along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, where projected sea level rise and tidal flooding combine with socioeconomic risks such as poverty and minority population share. It argues that federal and state agencies must prioritize these vulnerable communities in funding and infrastructure investments to ensure an equitable response to climate change. The analysis evaluated thirty-five coastal counties across nine states and provides case studies for five specific locations, including Dorchester County, MD, and Plaquemines Parish, LA, to illustrate the challenges of environmental injustice and sinking lands.

• The report introduces a screening tool to identify 'climate equity hotspots,' which are areas where climate risks from sea level rise and tidal flooding overlap with socioeconomic risk factors such as poverty, per capita income, educational attainment, and the share of the minority population.
• The analysis evaluated thirty-five coastal counties across nine states on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, noting that sea levels are rising most rapidly in these regions.
• The document recommends that federal, state, and local agencies target funding for preparedness and disaster recovery specifically to the most at-risk communities and direct investments in health, shelter, energy, and transportation to these populations.
• Five specific locations are highlighted as case studies for coastal climate equity challenges: Dorchester County, MD; Charleston, SC; Opa-locka and Hialeah, FL; Gulfport, MS; and Plaquemines Parish, LA.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Surviving and Thriving Face Rising Seas. https://www.ucs.org/resources/surviving-and-thriving-face-rising-seas

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Surviving and Thriving Face Rising Seas. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/resources/surviving-and-thriving-face-rising-seas.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Surviving and Thriving Face Rising Seas |date=16 November 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/surviving-and-thriving-face-rising-seas |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015surviving, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Surviving and Thriving Face Rising Seas}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/surviving-and-thriving-face-rising-seas}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }