climate adaptation; flooding; nature based solutions

With sea level rising at a rate of 10 millimeters per year due to climate change, coastal wetland ecosystems in the United States are in jeopardy. As the rate of sea level rise increases, many coastal wetland complexes cannot migrate inland because they are bound on that side by the human-built environment. There are strategies that land managers can explore to make room for the valuable ecosystem services wetlands provide, such as wildlife habitat and flood protection from storm surges.

Since 2013, China has embarked on a national policy to turn its growing metropolises into sponge cities, which capture stormwater instead of disposing of it all. As engineered designs slow the flow of that water and allow it to soak into the Earth instead of running away—using rain gardens, spreading grounds, permeable pavers, and urban wetlands—they simultaneously reduce flooding and refill underlying aquifers.