Listen to the scientists: Get your hip-boots on!
Emily Rocheleau
By Emily Rocheleau
Hip-Boot Tour Organizer
Clean Air-Cool Planet
Over the past two weeks, Clean Air-Cool Planet has been on the road donning hip-boots and playing in the water – ok, we’ve been working, too! A team of leading scientists joined us for the “Hip-Boot Tour,” to share emerging science on how glacial melting due to climate change will impact coastal communities.
In collaboration with local groups in Portland ME, Hampton NH, Philadelphia PA, Norfolk VA, Wilmington NC, and Miami and Tampa/St. Petersburg FL, we held a series of coastal community roundtables and outreach events designed to bring the latest science in sea level rise and ice sheets to officials and citizens on the US east coast – where over three feet of sea level rise is now considered likely if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. Our presenters included:
Bob Bindschadler, NASA
Gordon Hamilton, University of Maine
Jim White, University of Colorado
Mark Fahnestock, University of New Hampshire
Asa Rennermalm, Rutgers
The conversations were lively, as the scientists and CA-CP representatives explained the implications of the emerging science. “The climate is changing, and sea level is rising; this we know with certainty,” Jim White bluntly explained to an audience of 40+ in Norfolk. “Unfortunately, you are on the front lines,” White added.
Before an audience of over 200 in St. Petersburg, Gordon Hamilton shared stories about glaciers breaking apart right before his eyes in Greenland. “At first we thought we had the wrong coordinates for our intended destination on the glacier, and then we realized that it had simply receded 5 kilometers from the previous year,” Hamilton recounted about one of his recent trips to Greenland. While each presenter had a different story, they all shared the same message: climate change is causing glaciers to melt and sea level to rise, and it is happening quickly. CA-CP representatives helped to answer questions about what communities can do to plan for sea level rise, as well as how we can shape national policy to reduce greenhouse gases so we don’t make the situation worse.
Using a number of props – hip-boots, blue tape, a hula hoop, and a piece of Mylar – I helped demonstrate to participants and press what the newest estimates for sea level rise really look like. It was a good thing I was wearing hip-boots, because at 1 meter the water was at my waist – and at 2 meters it was easily over my head! There’s nothing like making a fool of yourself for a good cause. The visuals were powerful for participants and press alike. We also had high-resolution maps made for each city, which showed flooding inundation for the various sea-level rise estimates. Looking at the maps, participants pointed out what homes, airports, hospitals, and historical landmarks are most vulnerable; a message of severity and urgency resounded.
Moving forward, CA-CP will be taking this message of urgency to the halls of Congress in Washington D.C. In the next few weeks, our team of scientists will join us in D.C. to meet with members of Congress, and to brief their staff on this emerging science. As the U.S. Senate continues to discuss the climate bill, it is essential that the latest science be considered, including the impacts of predicted sea level rise on U.S. coastal communities.
You can view the full Hip-Boot tour schedule, biographies of the presenters, map images, press clips, and other materials on our website.
Tags: Arctic, arctic warming, climate scientists, coast, coastal inundation, glacial melting, glaciers, Hip-boot Tour, hipboots, melting, melting ice, Sea-level Rise
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