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Oceanic Solutions – Coastal Sea-Level Mitigation

image credit: RobinMcLachlan.com
John Benson's picture
Senior Consultant, Microgrid Labs

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Microgrid Labs, Inc. Advisor: 2014 to Present Developed product plans, conceptual and preliminary designs for projects, performed industry surveys and developed...

  • Member since 2013
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  • Aug 4, 2022
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Sometimes you need to be ready to give something away to save it. The coasts of Earth’s oceans are like that. Many of these, which are not preserved by governments, are prime development-land. But the only way we might preserve them is by moving these developments away from the coasts, give these back to Mother Nature, and let her grow forests and salt-water marshes on them. At the very least this will greatly slow their erosion, and, if we otherwise slow down climate change, they may even be able to reclaim some land that was previously under water.

I wrote the following about six months ago in the post described below.

Wet NET: Most of my readers know that NET stands for Negative Emissions Technology. The title NET are carbon dioxide negative emissions technologies that involve the oceans.

At the time I wrote the above post, unbeknownst to me, I missed a major chapter. This post will supply this. The subject is mangrove forests.

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Matt Chester's picture
Matt Chester on Aug 4, 2022

That the mangroves are natural parts of FL and LA and those are two of the most vulnerable states to sea level rise only emphasizes the importance of protecting these resources and using them to their fullest. Thanks for sharing, John. 

John Benson's picture
John Benson on Aug 8, 2022

The right response would be to relocate the beach communities further inland and preserve coast-front land as mangrove forests. However, understanding the political situation in FL, LA & TX, I doubt your home state will be interested in doing this anytime soon. (Ditto TX and LA).

I would guess somewhere between 2050 and 2100. these areas will be repeatedly devastated by hurricanes, other strong storms, clear-sky flooding, and lose their value. But by then, it will probably be too late for the mangrove fix. 

-John

John Benson's picture
Thank John for the Post!
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