It has become known that several major parts in Florida are sinking at a high rate due to the rising sea level. The city that is sinking the fastest is Miami. It is hard to imagine that the beautiful beaches and popular scenery with palm trees itself is about to be underwater sooner than we know it.
There are many contributing factors as to why this phenomenon is happening and one of the biggest reasons has to do with human attitude and involvement in the environment. Research has shown that humans overvalue short term benefits such as burning coal, driving SUVs, burning coal, and building real estate in front of the water, and therefore has taken priority over having a clean environment, or being concerned with the rising sea levels, with bone bothering to even wonder about the cause of such an alarming event.
Miami and Miami Beach are suffering from massive flooding related to rising sea levels, even if it is not raining. It seems that only when catastrophic results happen, will anyone realize that there is a problem that needs to be fixed. However, it is not only Miami that will face potential sinking and flooding, but the whole Florida will eventually be submerged underwater if no action is taken now. For instance, there are many American cities that in the future will suffer the most from rising seas, there are five in Florida: St Petersburg, Tampa, Miami, Miami Beach and Panama City. In 2016, Zillow predicted that one out of eight homes in Florida would be underwater.
Even though Miami is sinking, people are still building expensive real estate in this dangerous zone, which just causes even worse effects because more industrial buildings usually come along with more pollution in the area. Recently, there was even a funeral in Greenland for a glacier. Glaciers do not usually melt, but when they do, the rise in sea level is affected exponentially. There is definitely a much-needed change in the way we care for the environment, because the consequences if we don’t are far more than we can handle. It will not just be a state sinking, or the reefs dying, but the chain effects of ecosystems dying, pollution in the things we may put in our body, and losing places to leave that causes migration, and hence over population, which leads to more pollution. The endless cycle will not end unless action is taken now.
A long time ago climate change became a reality for both the rich and the poor in Miami knowing of the effects of warmer water and rising sea level. Miami-Dade County has the most risk of rising sea levels. It is preparing for increasing flooding and other consequences of sea level rise, the state is working to become advanced in coastal adaptation planning. The seriousness of this problem has become evident and this is a problem for the country as a whole to help out, and do their part, not just a problem for Florida. If given federal support, the county of Miami-Dade could become a national leader in resilience. Other states should follow suit and do their part to save the environment, so that the irrevocable mistake is not made.
There are many consequences that come with rising sea levels. The increased urban flooding is one of them and the water supply gets contaminated as well. Flooding causes loss of homes, and therefore, more money will be taken out from the federal government to fix the problems that could have been avoided. If Florida goes underwater, people will have to love to different states, and some may cause an overpopulation. Favorite places like the beach and Disneyland will no longer exist, and only then will people regret. If all of America does their individual part, there is hope for the environment to slowly recover on its own. We need the environment, but the environment needs us in order to recover from all the damages we have inflicted on it.