In 2024, sea level rise was unexpectedly high. How this impacts different communities across the globe is highly variable.
Regional currents, erosion and land shifts — caused by natural processes like tectonic plate movements — as well as human-caused change including fossil fuel consumption and groundwater extraction can cause certain areas to experience higher levels of sea rise. In the U.S., Louisiana and the Gulf Coast are particularly susceptible hotspots as climate change-driven sea level rise meets fast-sinking land.
The George Washington University has experts available who can discuss how this will impact coastal towns. If you would like to schedule an interview, please contact GW Media Relations at gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Climate Change Adaptation
Lisa Benton-Short is a professor of geography at the GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences who studies urban sustainability, environmental issues in cities, and cities and immigration. Benton-Short can discuss the impact of climate change in amplifying natural disasters and the underlying forces at play that amplify the impacts of natural disasters. She can also speak to the steps that can be taken to help make cities and communities more resilient in the face of natural disasters.
Environmental Law
Robert Glicksman, the J.B. and Maurice C Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at GW is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law issues. Glicksman’s areas of expertise include environmental and natural resources law, along with others. Glicksman has consulted on various environmental and natural resources law issues, including work for the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Glicksman has published and been published in numerous publications, including his most recent highlight in The Green Clash Between Renewables and Conservations.
Emily Hammond; Glen Earl Weston Research Professor at the GW Law School. Hammond is a nationally recognized expert in energy, environmental and administrative law. Prior to teaching, Hammond was an environmental engineer bringing fluency between the intersection of law, science and policy. Hammond has held a presidential appointment at the Department of Energy, where they served as Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, Regulation and Enforcement as well as Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Litigation.Hammond’s publications include legal analyses of CWA issues and peer-reviewed hydrological studies.
Public Health
Elizabeth Andrade, an associate professor of prevention and community health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, was part of a team of GW researchers who conducted the most comprehensive study of the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico. As part of that study, the team concluded that sea level rise and climate change put coastal communities in the US and globally at risk for flooding and extreme weather events. They also recommend that communities take steps now to protect populations most vulnerable to flooding and other disasters.
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