by avery van etten

“i’m not betting on the fact that we’re going to save any of this. i’m betting on the fact that this is all going to change.” – chris bergh, the nature conservancy

a chain of low-lying islands, the florida keys, are already affected by sea level rise. plant and animal species, such as south florida slash pines and key deer, are losing their habitats as oceans rise and saltwater encroaches on their territory.

 

keys residents are also impacted by sea level rise, which causes nuisance flooding and worse storm surges and threatens future permanent inundation of some areas of the islands. 

in this first episode, i investigate what sea level rise looks like in the keys and some ways in which people are preparing for ever rising levels.

next, hear about the economic impacts of sea level rise in the keys. you can find the second episode in the series here. the third and final episode, in which i talk to keys residents about their opinions on sea level rise, can be found here.