Research suggests Hawaii will see a 3-foot (0.9-meter) rise in ocean levels by the end of this century
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s iconic Waikiki Beach could soon be underwater as rising sea levels caused by climate change overtake its white sand beaches and bustling city streets.
That’s an alarming scenario for a state where beach tourism is the primary driver of the economy, leading some lawmakers to insist that planning for rising tides should start now. “The loss of coastal property and infrastructure, increased cost for storm damage and insurance, and loss of life are inevitable if nothing is done, which will add a significant burden to local taxpayers, the state’s economy, and way of life,” says Lee’s bill, which is similar to action taken by New York City after a storm surge from Superstorm Sandy led to $19 billion in damage in 2012.
But in more rural areas, he said, new construction could be restricted close to shore “to preserve dune systems and build in a lot of natural solutions that are much more cost effective and provide a much more resilient result than simply building out concrete infrastructure or anything of the sort.”
Research included in the report suggests Hawaii will see a 3-foot rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. It predicts that more than 6,000 of the state’s buildings and 20,000 people across all of Hawaii’s islands will experience chronic flooding. Dozens of miles of roadways, utility infrastructure and beaches will be washed away, the report said. The state’s ports and low-laying airports are also highly vulnerable.
“We’ve long suspected processes like shoreline erosion, waves overtopping and inundation would be additional factors for Hawaii,” Anderson said. “We found out it covers a lot more land … I wasn’t expecting such a large increase due to these other two processes.”
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