Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) report identifies coastal communities where socioeconomic vulnerability and climate risks overlap, creating 'climate equity hotspots.' Using a pilot study of 35 counties across nine U.S. states, the report demonstrates that African American, Latino, and Native American communities often face higher exposure to sea level rise and tidal flooding while possessing fewer resources to adapt. The authors propose a screening tool based on climate and socioeconomic indicators to guide more equitable distribution of federal and state resilience funding. The report concludes with policy recommendations to upgrade affordable housing, improve transportation for evacuations, and ensure inclusive stakeholder engagement in climate planning.

• The report introduces a screening tool to identify "climate equity hotspots," which are communities where "a combination of socioeconomic and climate risk factors creates a heightened risk to coastal flooding exacerbated by sea level rise."
• In a sample of 35 coastal counties, Orleans Parish, LA, was identified as the most vulnerable hotspot, followed by St. Bernard, Jefferson, and Plaquemines parishes in Louisiana, and Harrison County, MS.
• Sea level rise projections for 2030 and 2045 indicate that all 35 analyzed counties will experience more than 4 inches of rise by 2030 and more than 10 inches by 2045; Louisiana and Virginia are expected to be particularly affected.
• The report recommends that federal and state agencies prioritize funding for the most at-risk communities and specifically calls for public funds to "upgrade public housing to make it climate-safe while maintaining affordability."
• Traditional cost-benefit analyses for coastal protection can marginalize low-income areas; one study cited found that over 99 percent of the most socially vulnerable people in the Gulf Coast live in areas unlikely to be protected if "pure economic efficiency criteria" are used.

APA

Cleetus, R., Bueno, R., & Dahl, K. (2015). Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/surviving-and-thriving-full-report.pdf#page=40

Chicago

Cleetus, Rachel, Ramón Bueno, and Kristina Dahl. Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2015. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/surviving-and-thriving-full-report.pdf#page=40.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cleetus |first1=Rachel |last2=Bueno |first2=Ramón |last3=Dahl |first3=Kristina |title=Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=November 2015 |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/surviving-and-thriving-full-report.pdf#page=40 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleetus2015surviving, author = {Cleetus, Rachel and Bueno, Ramón and Dahl, Kristina}, title = {{Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/surviving-and-thriving-full-report.pdf#page=40}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }