Mitigation and Adaptation Responses to Sea Level Rise

Owing to climate change, according to annual Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, sea level rise is inevitable. The sea level rise in different parts of the coastal areas in the world continents, may be calculated and thus predicted for ten years in the future, a hundred years out and beyond, with decreasing confidence. Amongst experts, the amount of sea level rise at different locations is a topic of heated debate. The objective of the current work is to review possible projects and undertakings that could be planned and carried out to face the challenges brought forth by rising seas. Some of these projects and actions are more suitable for rise of 1 to 3 feet, others are good for higher rises and still others are suitable for whatever the scenario. The innovative suggestion in the current work is to use municipal waste, in addition to rocks, gravel and sand, together with an impervious bottom lining, to uplift the low-lying areas. This sanitary landfill in the close-by coastal areas is recommended wherever the local community is agreeable to a master plan of action where landfilling is included as a desired tool. Municipal solid waste is more cost effective than trucking in or shipping in imported gravel and sand. In addition, it is a good way to use the community’s solid waste. If the solid waste was previously making its way to the incinerators, it will also help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, which is one of the principal causes of climate change and the rising seas.