No buyer wants to see their investment go underwater, but in the future that concern may be a literal one. As climate change science predicts rising sea levels, buyers must consider the possibility that property purchases could become unwanted aquatic residences. A new interactive tool from Climate Central, an organization of climate scientists, allows people to track rising sea levels for a given U.S. region through a variety of potential climate change scenarios. Noting that global sea levels have risen about eight inches since 1880, Climate Central posits:
Across the country, nearly 5 million people live in 2.6 million homes at less than 4 feet above high tide — a level lower than the century flood line for most locations analyzed. And compounding this risk, scientists expect roughly 2 to 7 more feet of sea level rise this century — a lot depending upon how much more heat-trapping pollution humanity puts into the sky.
We decided to see how Mansion Global’s Top U.S. Markets fared in a potential future of flooding (see below). Hint: it doesn’t look great for South Florida. The ‘Water Level’ slider on the lower left-side of the map represents feet above the local high tide line, with the map default set to five feet above local high tide line. You can raise or drop sea levels by changing the slider position. To see what combined factors can lead to rising sea levels for a region, and what the risk is, click "View The Full Size Map" and select any the links under the forecast tab on the upper right-side of the map.
Miami
New York City
San Francisco