{"id":12969,"date":"2021-07-23T09:14:07","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T13:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=12969"},"modified":"2021-07-28T12:13:55","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T16:13:55","slug":"sea-level-rise-threatens-miamis-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2021\/07\/23\/sea-level-rise-threatens-miamis-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea level rise threatens Miami\u2019s future. Here\u2019s how the Army Corps can help keep Florida, Florida."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Florida residents are on the frontlines of climate change, already facing sea level rise and increasing storm intensity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is especially evident in Miami, due to its low-lying topography, porous limestone, dense coastal development and encroaching seas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To address these threats, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) produced the Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management study. This multibillion-dollar proposal contains traditional, hardened infrastructure projects, including a massive seawall that would extend across Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami, reaching up to 20 feet in some places.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The proposal has received significant pushback from the public and stakeholders who are concerned about negative impacts to the environment, economy and quality of life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the Corps seeks to address flood vulnerability in Miami and elsewhere, here are three ways the agency can reduce risk while also preserving the natural beauty of Florida\u2019s coastal communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Keeping Florida, Florida: Nature provides a path to a climate resilient Miami\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oQvsQml0cCg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>Harness nature to reduce flood risk and deliver additional benefits.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seas are projected to rise in Miami-Dade County by more than 15 inches in the next 30 years, increasing flood risk further inland and with greater frequency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The encroaching seas threaten not only communities, but also the resources they rely on, including roads, drinking water and sewer lines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Corps\u2019 proposal should incorporate natural solutions to reduce these risks and deliver additional benefits, such as improving water quality, sequestering carbon, enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, and also creating jobs and economic development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Natural solutions make good business sense, as the costs of implementing features like mangroves and wetlands can be two to five times cheaper than traditional hardened infrastructure, while enhancing the performance of structural solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An oyster reef can provide an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/bioscience\/article\/62\/10\/900\/238172\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">economic value<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> between $5,500 and $99,000 per hectare annually and recover costs in two to 14 years. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/ncomms4794\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coral reefs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can provide the same benefits as low breakwaters at a fraction of the cost in addition to providing other ecosystem benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12976\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12976\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2021\/07\/pasted-image-0.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12976\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2021\/07\/pasted-image-0.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2021\/07\/pasted-image-0.png 343w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2021\/07\/pasted-image-0-280x300.png 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1. depicts an example of how a locally preferred alternative could improve upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Back Bay project design by incorporating natural infrastructure and by considering community needs. Credit: Miami Downtown Development Authority.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>Engage the private sector to develop innovative approaches.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swire Properties, a development firm with operations in Miami, hired engineering firm Moffatt &amp; Nichol to develop a hybridized approach that includes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/naturalinfrastructure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">natural and nature-based solutions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in response to the Corps\u2019 proposal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/miami.cbslocal.com\/2021\/02\/11\/redesign-coastal-waterfront-off-biscayne-bay\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swire proposal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> calls for the installation of oyster reefs as a first line of defense from flooding followed by mangroves, a boardwalk, wetlands and more strategically placed and smaller scale seawalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swire\u2019s involvement highlights how the private sector can help tackle the climate crisis. Often, these organizations have a vested interest and resources available to identify innovative solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recently, the city\u2019s Board of Commissioners and members of the public voiced support for Swire\u2019s approach, articulating the need for more natural alternatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Center community needs at the start of project planning.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Corps must understand and prioritize the needs and voices of people on the ground early in the planning process for resilience projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Local residents and stakeholders are too often engaged after an agency has already proposed a plan, as was the case with the Back Bay study, making it difficult to change or modify to address local feedback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few years ago, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/resilient305.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Resilient 305<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> conducted exhaustive stakeholder outreach, which found local residents overwhelmingly prefer natural solutions. Residents understand the multiple benefits these solutions provide and how they can reduce risks while preserving the beauty of the ecosystem that makes Florida what it is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This engagement should include people outside of currently designated flood zones, as climate change will expand and increase areas of risk. Reducing the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2021\/01\/22\/flood-risk-gap\/#:~:text=America%27s%20flood%20risk%20gap%20is,also%20greatest%20need%20for%20resources\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">flood risk gap <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">requires bringing diverse, representative groups to the table early and often.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Going forward, the Corps and other leaders can learn from these lessons of the Back Bay Study to prioritize long-term solutions that address flood risk and preserve environmental, economic and community wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a class=\"jumpOut nextButton\" href=\"https:\/\/act.edfaction.org\/eUWHZXR\"><span class=\"boxInner\">Take action: Tell decisionmakers to prioritize nature to build climate resilience.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three ways the Army Corps can help build climate resilience while preserving Florida\u2019s environment, economy and way of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107017],"tags":[92489,140],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-12969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coasts-watersheds","tag-flood-risk","tag-sea-level-rise"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12969\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12969"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}