November 29, 2018 — Rising temperatures and sea levels caused by climate change threaten a way of life along the New England coast, and the region’s tourism, agriculture and fishing industries are at risk from damaging storms and flooding, according to a new federal report.
The report, produced by 13 federal agencies and more than 300 climate scientists, concludes the planet is getting warmer, human activity is contributing to it, and we are approaching a point of no return in terms of the damage to the climate. The government report details how that will hurt regions of the country.
In the Northeast, the report projects temperatures to rise faster than the global average, or about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-Industrial Age levels, by 2035.
“This would be the largest increase in the contiguous United States and would occur as much as two decades before global average temperatures reach a similar milestone,” it said.
Rising seas and storms will inundate seaside communities, eroding sections of coast at rates of 3.3 feet a year in the next century, according to the report.
“These changes to the coastal landscape would threaten the sustainability of communities and their livelihoods,” the report stated. “Many fishing communities rely on small docks and other shoreside infrastructure for their fishing operations, increasing the risk of substantial disruption if they are lost to sea level rise and increasing storm frequency.”