Rising sea levels could affect millions more people than previously thought

New York Times : Sea-level rise due to climate change could affect three times as many people in the US as previously estimated, according to a new study . The reason, the researchers say, is that most climate change projections have not included ongoing population growth, which has been especially rapid in coastal areas. By combining future population estimates based on census data with predictions of sea-level rise from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mathew Hauer of the University of Georgia and colleagues found that a rise in sea levels of 0.9 meters could displace as many as 4.2 million people. A rise of 1.8 meters could displace 13.1 million. Alarmingly, some 70% of the people expected to be displaced will be in the southeastern US. Other areas, such as coastal Louisiana and the Chesapeake Bay region, are already sinking and so will experience even faster rates of change. The estimated cost of relocating all the displaced people could reach $14 trillion, the researchers say.