San Francisco Public Press - Independent, Nonprofit, In-Depth Local News

San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/series/sea-level-rise-1st-in-a-series/)

Sea Level Rise: First in a Series

Summer 2015 — The Bay Area’s current waterfront building frenzy includes at least $21 billion in housing and commercial construction in low-lying areas that climate scientists say could flood by the end of the century. In examining approval processes for new buildings on the edge of San Francisco Bay, our team found that some cities are greenlighting waterfront development without planning for the long term or fully accounting for the future cost of reconfiguring large projects to resist flooding.

Heron's Head Park shoreline

Construction Worth Billions Could be Flooded Within Decades

In light of a new convergence in scientific projections — in which sea level rise could drive floodwaters during extreme storms as high as 8 feet above today’s high tide — some scientists and community activists are calling for reforms. That may not happen before all these new waterfront communities and office parks get built. Developers say they can raise the land, waterproof basements and build levees and seawalls much higher to protect residents and businesses. But critics say the burden of protecting new real estate is being passed on to the taxpayers of the next two or three generations.

» READ our 2017 follow-up, Sea Level Rise: Wild West on the Waterfront. »

See coverage of this project from Mother Jones, KQED, San Francisco Magazine and more.

ABOUT THIS REPORTING PROJECT

In recent years, researchers in many disciplines have mapped detailed projections for potential flooding as sea levels rise. And, importantly, these models now mostly agree. The Public Press compared these models against local and regional policies and with recent building permit data. The research reveals that billions of dollars worth of planned development could be threatened by rising waters within a human lifetime.

REPORTING: Kevin Stark, Winifred Bird, Michael Stoll, Emily Dugdale, Lulu Orozco, Paul Lorgerie, Sophie Murguia, Caroline Cakebread and Tanya Dzekon | EDITING: Laura Impellizzeri, Kevin McKean and Katherine Bourzac | CARTOGRAPHY: Marcea Ennamorato, Maia Wachtel and Brittany Burson of the UC Berkeley Cartography & GIS Education Lab | PHOTO & VIDEO: Eric Lawson, Peter Snarr and Dayvon Dunaway | ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN: Erika Rae Langdon, Clark Miller, Emily Underwood and Anna Vignet | ONLINE: Amanda Hickman

SPECIAL THANKS: John Upton of Climate Central

THIS PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY DONATIONS FROM PUBLIC PRESS MEMBERS, AND BY A CHALLENGE GRANT FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION

Climate Change

Major S.F. Bayfront Developments Advance Despite Sea Rise Warnings

07.29.2015

|

By Kevin Stark, Reporter, Winifred Bird, Reporter and Michael Stoll, Executive director

Builders plan to invest more than $21 billion in offices and homes in flood-prone areas, where waters could climb 8 feet above today’s high tide by the end of this century. Land-use records reveal that the building boom, fueled by a white-hot tech economy, is moving too fast for regulators to keep pace. (Cover story from the summer 2015 print edition)

Climate Change

Mission Bay Pioneers: Working and Living in a New Waterfront Neighborhood

07.29.2015

|

By Tanya Dzekon, Reporter, Caroline Cakebread, Reporter and Sophie Murguia, Reporter

As cranes and bulldozers continue their work to build Mission Bay, residents and workers say they love the new waterfront area. Few say they have any knowledge of, nor are they much concerned about, the long-term flooding risk.

Climate Change

screen_shot_2015-07-29_at_1.08.08_pm.png

Four Ways to Guard Against Sea Level Rise

07.29.2015

|

By Winifred Bird, Reporter

Water brings both life and risk to the shoreline, so seaside residents have long built barriers, canals and other protections to guard against storms and floods. Now sea level rise is adding an extra challenge.

Climate Change

Bay Area Governments Study Sea Level Rise, but Few Set Limits on Development

07.29.2015

|

By Emily Dugdale, Reporter

The San Francisco Public Press surveyed 13 Bay Area cities and counties where building projects are planned in waterfront areas vulnerable to sea level rise. While most are studying the issue, few have passed new regulations to limit growth or require developers to floodproof their properties.

Climate Change

With Dozens of Local and Regional Governments, Baywide Planning Is Hard

07.29.2015

|

By Winifred Bird, Reporter

Regional coordination will be essential if Bay Area cities and counties are to minimize flooding as the sea rises. A few initiatives have launched, but none yet has the legal authority or resources to align all 41 governments that border San Francisco Bay.

Climate Change

screen_shot_2015-07-29_at_12.25.25_pm.png

Experts Weigh In on Sea Level Rise

07.29.2015

|

By San Francisco Public Press

Experts weigh in on the local effects of sea level rise. Hear from an oceanographer, an academic, a climate scientist, a policy professional and an environmental planner.

Climate Change

Interactive Map: A Baywide Building Boom Threatened by Rising Waters

07.29.2015

|

By Lulu Orozco, Reporter

We found 27 proposals for major construction projects that could be flooded in decades due to climate change. View our interactive map.

Climate Change

As Science Gets Better, Dramatic Sea Rise Seems More Certain

07.29.2015

|

By Kevin Stark, Reporter

Sea level rise of 8 feet is an unlikely but worrisome possibility. Many objections to preparing aggressively for sea level rise center on the uncertainty in projections about how quickly global warming will cause the oceans to expand. But the science is increasingly clear.