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Should we drain the Everglades?

(rabbitcavern.substack.com)
116 points ksymph | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.201s | source
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hwc ◴[] No.45269769[source]
I used to live in this part of the country. There's an insane amount of disregard for the environment and climate. Yes, new buildings have to be reinforced against hurricanes. But they are still building new houses only a few meters above sea level, as if sea level rise wasn't already unavoidable.

And on the largest scale, there is a limit to the amount of fresh groundwater that wells along the South Florida coast can get. Once they exceed that amount, they'll be pumping brackish water seeping in from the ocean. Then they have to desalinate the brackish water.

But the last time I was there, they were still building new houses.

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deadbabe ◴[] No.45270546[source]
“a few meters above sea level” is still not sea level. That’s a good 12-15 feet to work with.
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KingMob ◴[] No.45270616[source]
Iirc, there are scientific estimates that Greenland's ice sheet alone would raise sea levels by 24 ft if it melted.

12-15 ft may really not be enough for very long.

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1. Suppafly ◴[] No.45284973[source]
Not to mention being 15 ft above sea level doesn't help if the shore keeps washing away. A lot of the houses being moved/abandoned on coasts now are above sea level, but the sea level is undercutting the cliffs they are built on.