Ralph Santos

Writing 39C (Advocacy Project)

Price

12-01-2017

The Seven Seas War: Dealing with the Rising Seas

Figure 1:
The mesmerizing Antarctic Ice Shelf
showed melting highlighting the
effects of global warming contributing
to the dangerous trend of rising global
sea levels.
(Photo By: Maria Stenzel
Source: National Geographic)

The rate of rising sea levels possesses a huge threat that requires the worlds attention.

The effects of rising sea levels are starting to be felt in different parts of the world. Erosion,

flooding, and freshwater contamination are the result of ocean water rising and flowing inland.

For a country with major coastal cities such as the United States, these consequences lead to

social and economic disruptions. Coastal flooding has led to damaged homes and important

infrastructure causing the relocation of affected citizens. Moreover, flooding has disrupted

businesses on the coasts leaving economic dents. Research has shown that the rate of sea level

rise has reached alarming levels, and can continue to rise leaving more regions susceptible to its

effects. Sea level rise is a complex issue that cannot be fixed overnight. Multiple solutions are

required to decelerate the rising trend and minimize its damages in the U.S. coast.

The breaching seas must be fought through collective efforts by the people and

government. A way to reverse the trend is to attack its core, global warming. Collaborative
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efforts between officials and people can jump start environmental projects that can alleviate

global warming causing the rising trend to slow down. Alternatively, since rising sea levels can

only be slowed down and not stopped, coastal management like building seawalls or fortifying

infrastructure must be considered to limit the potential damage from rising sea levels.

Unfortunately, these proposals have been met with opposition due to staggering costs and

skepticism about rising sea levels and climate change in general. We must work together and

educate people about damages caused by rising sea levels that can be dealt with by unified

efforts addressing global warming and infrastructure projects for protection.

Build that (Sea)Wall

We dont know by how much or by when. But its going to rise.

So our future planning must consider that.

Seawalls have proven to be an effective way to inhibit encroaching waters that disrupt

coastal regions. The U.S. general coastline spans over 12,000 miles full of homes, businesses,

and valuable resources. According to Jochen Hinkel, a senior researcher at the Global Climate

Forum, We dont know by how much or by when. But [sea level is] going to rise. So our future

planning must consider that. (Lehmann) We cannot stop the continuous growth of sea levels,

but we have the technology to lessen its consequences. Seawalls can serve as long-lasting

barriers from the rising seas ensuring the safety of civilians while protecting physical assets near

the coasts.

The cost has been a huge deterrent of a larger scale implementation of coastal defense in

the United States. James Koch of the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy highlights the

significant increase, from 5,300 to 6,789 dollars, of seawall construction cost per linear foot in a

span of about a decade. In addition, maintaining these seawalls are estimated to cost between 5
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and 10 percent of the original cost. (Koch 53) With thousands of miles to potentially cover

across the United States coast, the price tag for this type of coastal defense has left the

government to put projects on hold.

Figure 2:
Coastal defense mechanisms like levees and seawalls have
proven to be costly for a country with massive coastal
coverage like the United States. Inflation will lead to an
inevitable increase in cost the slower we implement them
to protect coastal regions from the creeping seas.
(Source: The Journal of Regional Analysis Policy, Cost
of Defending Against Rising Sea Levels and Flooding in
Mid-Atlantic Metropolitan Coastal Areas: The Basic
Issues)

However, the economic benefits of seawalls outweigh the costs it will take to build them.

Potential damages caused by the rising seas will not only affect coastal states. Major states like

California, New York, Texas, and Florida have significant coastlines. These states have major

political and economic influence on the entire country. If these states fall victim to the trend, all

states will suffer. Coastal and inland states must work together in aiding the coast to fortify their

defenses to the unforgiving seas. Hinkel sends a message regarding the importance of creating

these walls despite its high costs stating that if humans build dikes, the annual cost of flooding

could drop from as high as $100 trillion, in an unprotected world, to about $80 billion.

(Lehmann) Furthermore, Hinkels report asks for a sense of urgency to protect the coast since

socioeconomic development increases the number of people and value of assets in the coastal

floodplain (Hinkel 1) leaving many things in danger from sea level rise. Trillions of dollars and

millions of lives can be saved if we invest in protecting the coast effectively and as early as

possible.

In addition, seawalls have also been opposed due to its potential impact on tourism.

Critics believe that erecting seawalls on the coast will affect the natural ambiance of coastal
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attractions like beaches hurting tourism. However, seawalls are not the only form of coastal

defense management. There are other techniques that can be used to provide coastal regions the

protection they need while keeping their beauty for tourists. The Maldivian governments

Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning (Sovacool 1180) program in

2010 is a great example of how tourism can be retained while protecting the coasts from rising

sea levels. They implemented organic solutions like the use of mangrove trees at the island of

Kudhahuvadhoo to minimize the threat from the seas like flooding while maintaining the natural

ambiance of the Maldivian island. Coastal defense management is a complicated task that can be

addressed by many different ways. There is the flexibility of utilizing the hard defense like sea

walls or the soft defense like the use of organic plants to address the rising seas and minimize the

damages it can cause to areas near water.

Water Under the Bridge

The condition of roads, bridges, schools, water, treatment

plants, and other physical assets greatly influences the

economys ability to function and grow.

Fortifying infrastructures is another key to minimizing the damages caused by rising sea

levels. Elizabeth McNichol of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities emphasize the

importance of infrastructure investment for the country. If coastal cities begin to flood due to the

rising sea levels, infrastructure is an area that will be affected heavily. A report from James

Neumann et al. highlight the increase in vulnerability of infrastructure across the United States

due to the effects of climate change like rising sea levels. (97) Damaged infrastructure will cost

millions of dollars to repair, and would negatively impact the economy further due to disruptions
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in businesses and the relocation of affected areas. Investing in strengthening our infrastructure

can benefit the country by lowering repair costs and disruptions that can hurt the American

public and the economy.

Like sea walls, the cost is a huge reason why infrastructure projects lack progress.

McNicholss article claims that estimated cost of bringing Americas infrastructure to a state of

good repair (a grade of B) by 2025 [is] $4.6 trillion, of which only about 55 percent has been

committed. (3) The government continues to underfund projects for infrastructure fortification

leaving major infrastructure out of date. In fact, State and Local government spending on

infrastructure three years ago was at a 30-year low when spending dropped from 2.4 percent to

1.95 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) in 2014. We cannot let the government cheap

their way to our demise.

Figure 3:
Roads, electricity, and schools are important
infrastructures that we take for granted. As sea levels
continue to rise, the funding gap between allocated
funds for public infrastructure seems to follow the
same trend.
(Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
Its Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure)

Research indicates that investing in infrastructure repair can fuel social and economic

growth in addition to protecting resources. Mcnichol believes the condition of roads, bridges,

schools and other physical assets greatly affect the economys ability to function and grow.

(12). A functioning economy requires well-built infrastructure able to withstand natural disasters.

As the world feels the wrath of climate change and rising sea levels, public infrastructure must
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be improved to survive these conditions. The economic benefits of strengthening infrastructure

overshadow the cost to repair damages sea level rise can bring. Roads, ports, and airports are

necessary for trade to progress, and we cannot let the rising seas take these crucial infrastructures

without a fight. Furthermore, enhanced infrastructure can enhance the quality of living for

Americans and stimulate the economy further by providing jobs and opportunities. Maintaining

these resources to withstand more than just sea level rise open a bridge to economic

opportunities and social benefits that will counter its cost.

Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Figure 4:
Research has shown carbon
emissions and deforestation as
the main culprits of climate
change. A significant decrease
in these actions can bode well
for our futures climate and sea
levels.
(Source: Union of Concerned
Scientists)

Another way to deal with rising sea levels is by going on an all-out war against its root

cause, global warming. Global warming is responsible for melting ice sheets and increasing

ocean water temperatures triggering the rise in global sea levels. The war on global warming is a

complex issue that requires a plethora of solutions like the battle with rising sea levels.

Regardless of its complexity, dealing with global warming promotes one big theme about saving

mother nature. Reducing carbon emissions and stopping deforestation is a great way to combat

climate change as shown in figure 4. At a larger scale, major companies responsible for

emissions and deforestation must consider alternatives to make their systems eco-friendly. The

public can also have an impact reducing emissions and deforestation to mitigate global warming.
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The choices we make in our everyday lives can contribute to the battle against global warming.

Slowing climate change will limit ocean thermal expansion and the melting of ice sheets and

glaciers aiding the deceleration of future sea level rise.

Cutting the air pollutants worldwide by 30 to 60 percent

would lower projected sea level rise by 22 to 42 percent

Reducing carbon emissions and stopping deforestation will have a powerful impact in

mitigating climate change contributing to the effort to reverse the rising sea level trend. Carbon

dioxide and several other air pollutants are known to trap heat and stay for centuries in the

[Earths] troposphere (Seeker). Healthy forests are needed to absorb heat-trapping gasses like

carbon dioxide. Deforestation contributes to the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere that

stimulates global warming. The fight against global warming starts with reducing air pollution

while keeping our forests green. A Seeker article in 2013 emphasizes that cutting air pollutants

worldwide by 30 to 60 percent would lower projected sea level rise by 22 to 42 percent

(DNews) by the year 2100. Actions are imminent to jump-start projects that will contribute to the

war against climate change to control the rising seas.

Despite its proven necessity, projects of reducing carbon emissions and deforestation

have been a challenge due to the unwillingness of government officials and companies in related

industries to comply and cooperate in saving the environment. Paul Griffin, head of the Carbon

Disclosure Project report, shows that only 100 companies are responsible for over 70 percent of

carbon emissions. (Griffin) These companies must consider changes like converting to renewable

energy or recycling resources to reduce the emissions they produce to contribute to the efforts on

slowing climate change. Furthermore, a study in 2015 by the Union of Concerned Scientist

studied big corporations efforts to get their beef from cattle raised on deforestation-free areas.
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While top companies like Wal-Mart and McDonalds earned the studys top score, several other

companies like Burger King and Pizza Hut still fail to commit using deforestation-free beef.

(Gustin) We can only hope that these companies change course and commit to protecting the

environment. To further exacerbate this issue, President Donald Trump and other officials

continue to question the legitimacy of climate change. This leaves the United States the only

[powerful] country to reject the Paris Agreement that focuses on global efforts to address

climate change. (Meyer) Lack of movement and commitment by the current government and

major companies has slowed the efforts in addressing climate change in the United States.

Officials need to be more informed of the severity of climate change and rising sea levels;

showing the potential social and economic dents in can produce if not dealt with.

Regardless of the conflicts this issue produces on a corporate scale, the public has just as

much influence in fighting climate change. Making conscious everyday decisions to save the

environment make people huge assets in stopping global warming. Companies are not the only

ones that can make significant changes to fight climate change and the rising seas. Even though a

persons actions to help the environment may not be comparable to one companys decisions,

these contributions add up with hundreds of millions of Americans able to help. Figure 5 shows

sectors that contribute to gas emissions that harm our atmosphere. Majority of these sectors can

be greatly influenced by smarter decisions by regular citizens.

Figure 5:
A 2013 recording by the Environmental Protection
Agency of greenhouse gas emissions broken down
into different sectors. With electricity being the
leading sector at 31 percent, smarter investment in
more efficient technology and electricity
conservation can be significant fighting emissions
to fight global warming and rising sea levels.
(Source: World Resources Institute, Putting a
Price on Carbon: Reducing Emissions)
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For example, electricity, a luxury humans take for granted, leads the figure on its

contribution to greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. If nothing is done, as the rise of

technology and population continues, the future of electricity and greenhouse emissions can be

frightening. According to the World Resources Institute, over four billion megawatt hours of

electricity are produced each year. (Kaufmann et al. 7) How do we lower these numbers? A

solution to lower electricity consumption is to simply use less electricity. Simple changes like

turning the lights off when they are not in use or using our air conditioning less during the

summer have a huge impact minimizing energy consumption. Alternatively, the beauty of

technological advancement today is the noticeable increase in availability of efficient home

appliances. People have the power to minimize energy consumption by using these products that

barely change their lifestyles. Lowering energy consumption can save families a lot of money

while saving the environment making this a win-win situation.

The Bottom Line

The war against rising sea levels cannot be solved by one spontaneous solution. It

requires a collaborative effort that can minimize its wrath to valuable resources in the United

States and the world. Despite the consequences of the rising seas being proved by valid research,

there continues to be a conflict between officials and the public whether or not rising sea levels

and climate change is a cause for concern. We must continue to educate and spread the word to

help them understand the damages sea level rise will cause unless dealt with. People need to be

informed of the different solutions to disrupt sea level growth. Coastal defense management like

seawalls has the goal of protecting lands and infrastructure from damages caused by sea water.

Fortification of infrastructure share this goal with coastal defense management making sure that

important resources that we use every day like roads and buildings are up to code and are able to
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withstand the inevitable rise of global sea level. The government and public need to understand

the importance of these investments in reducing the social and economic threat sea level rise can

produce. Dealing with climate change is another way to deal with sea level rise. Reducing

harmful emissions and deforestation can serve as a huge step for dealing with climate change

that can aid our efforts to combat sea level rise. These proposed solutions are necessary to make

huge progress to reverse the trend. Whether you live close to the coast or live further inland,

addressing this issue is beneficial for all since the world is run on collaboration, not isolation.
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Works Cited

Acilo. Global Warming and Emissions. Digital image. Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d.

Web. 27 Nov. 2017. <http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/solutions/global-

warming-solutions-reduce-emissions#.WhvLfUqnGUk>.

An image by user Acilo in the Union of Concerned Scientists website regarding

emissions as a multimodal source in my paper for audience appeal.

Bunny, Tessa. Global Warming and Deforestation. Digital image. Union of Concerned

Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2017. <http://www.ucsusa.org/ global_warming/

solutions/stop/deforestation#.WhvM1EqnGUk>.

An image in the Union of Concerned Scientists website regarding deforestation as a

multimodal source in my paper for audience appeal.

DNews. "Want to Slow Sea Level Rise? Curb 4 Pollutants." Seeker. Seeker, 16 Apr. 2013. Web.

14 Nov. 2017. <https://www.seeker.com/want-to-slow-sea-level-rise-curb-4-pollutants-

1767411333.html>.

A Seeker article that highlights four pollutants, carbon, methane, ozone, and

hydrofluorocarbons, that contribute to the continuous rise in global sea level. The article

mentions how these pollutants and carbon dioxide stay in the Earths atmosphere trapping

in heat causing global warming. The article seeks the attention of officials and the public

towards other pollutants besides carbon dioxide that aid rising sea levels and global

warming.

Griffin, Paul. "CDP Carbon Majors Report." Carbon Disclosure Project (2017): 1-16. The

Carbon Majors Database. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

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A very detailed report regarding the history of carbon emissions by Paul Griffin backed

by statistical analysis. Griffin provides data throughout the report showing the severity of

carbon emissions caused by only a small number of companies. This report covers in

detail the progression of Carbon emissions from several countries through several means

like coal and fossil fuel. This report showed the influence major companies in the related

industries have towards rising sea levels and global warming.

Gustin, Georgina. "Beef Companies Falling Short in Pledge to Help Prevent Deforestation in

Amazon." Inside Climate News. Inside Climate News, 19 Oct. 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

A brief article by Georgina Gustin of the Pulitzer Prize winning news organization Inside

Climate News displaying the battle between beef companies and their commitment

towards the use of deforestation-free beef. Gustin covers how several other major

companies have failed to fully commit in investing towards deforestation-free beef for

their businesses. In hopes of reducing deforestation to combat climate change, Gustin

discusses the importance of this companies to invest in deforestation-free beef to deter

deforestation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon.

Hinkel, Jochen, and Et Al. "Coastal Flood Damage and Adaptation Costs Under 21st Century

Sea-Level Rise." (2013): 1-6. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

<https://www.eenews.net/assets/2014/02/04/document_ew_01.pdf>.

A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article by Jochen Hinkel et al

regarding the potential damages coastal flooding can cause and the costs of defending the

coasts against it. The main takeaway from this article is that the inevitable increase of sea

level rise and socioeconomic developments would also increase the damages caused by

coastal flooding. This article presented a cost-benefit analysis of using coastal defense
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management to minimize the economic and social damage of rising sea levels breaching

coastal regions.

Kaufmann, Noah, Michael Obeiter, and Eleanor Krause. "Putting a Price on Carbon: Reducing

Emissions." World Resource Instititute (2016): 1-34. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

<https://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/Putting_a_Price_on_Carbon_Emissions.pdf>.

Kaufmann, Obeiter, and Krauses report about carbon emissions was mainly used to

exhibit the fact that the electricity sector is one of the leading cause of carbon emissions

in the United States. This report provided a graph for my paper to exhibit the emissions

done by specific sectors in the United States and gave me the statistics regarding yearly

electricity use in the United States playing a big role in advancing rising sea levels and

climate change.

Koch, James V. "Costs of Defending Against Rising Sea Levels and Flooding in Mid-Atlantic

Metropolitan Coastal Areas: The Basic Issues." The Journal of Regional Analysis &

Policy 1 (2017): 53-60. AgEcon Search. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.

<https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/132440/2/10-1-4.pdf>.

Kochs article for the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy focuses on the cost of

coastal defenses like sea walls in the United States. Koch shows the staggering potential

costs of coastal defense mechanisms reaching several million dollars per mile in addition

to the maintenance and damages it can cause along the way. This article assures the

readers that the potential of saving the United States coastal resources will pay off the

cost of defending these regions.

Lehmann, Evan. "Sea Walls May Be Cheaper Than Rising Waters." Scientific American.

Climate Wire, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

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<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sea-walls-may-be-cheaper-than-rising-

waters/>.

Lehmanns article is a continuation of Hinkel and his colleagues report on coastal flood

damages and the adaptation costs. Lehmanns article features the same idea about

implementing coastal defense systems to be a cheaper alternative to flooding in coastal

regions. This article features an interview with Hinkel talking about the inevitable future

of rising sea levels under climate change and the need for humans to defend themselves

before we lose valuable resources and lives.

Mcnichol, Elizabeth. "It's Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure." Center on Budget and

Policy Priorities. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 10 Aug. 2017. Web. 14 Nov.

2017. <https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/its-time-for-states-to-invest-

in-infrastructure>.

Elizabeth Mcnichols article highlights the importance of the United States government

to take notice and invest in infrastructure projects. In the issue of rising sea levels, in the

possible event of ocean waters breaching inland, a well maintained and strengthened

infrastructure is essential to minimize the damages it can cause. Mcnichols article also

emphasizes the other social and economic advances if the government invests in

infrastructure. Mcnichols argue that the investment can lead to job opportunities and a

better quality of life for the people affected by these changes. This shows that investment

in infrastructure goes beyond coastal defense for the rising sea levels.

Meyer, Robinson. Syria Is Joining the Paris Agreement. Now What? The Atlantic, Atlantic

Media Company, 8 Nov. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/syria-is-

joining-the-paris-agreement-now-what/545261/.
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Robinson Meyers The Atlantic article covers Syrias recent joining of the

Paris Agreement to fight climate change. This leaves the United States under the Trump

Administration, the only major nation not part of the Paris Agreement. The article

showed the conflict regarding rising sea levels and climate change within the United

States government proving the difficulty of implementing environmental projects to deal

with rising sea levels and climate change under a conflicted government.

Neumann, James E., Jason Price, Paul Chinowski, Leonard Wright, and Lindsay Ludwig.

"Climate Change Risks to US Infrastructure: Impacts on Roads, Bridges, Coastal

Development, and Urban Drainage." Climactic Change 131.1 (2015): 97-109. Web. 14

Nov. 2017.

This article had information regarding the effects of climate change and rising sea levels

on U.S. infrastructure. Neumann, Price, Chinowski, Wright, and Ludwig discuss the

vulnerability of infrastructure as climate change continues to impact the United States.

Their paper goes in depth on four factors assessing the vulnerabilities of infrastructure

under these stressful conditions and goes in-depth with potential adaptations to minimize

the damages caused by climate change and the increase in sea level.

Sovacool, Benjamin K. "Hard and Soft Paths for Climate Change Adaptation." Climate

Policy (Earthscan), vol. 11, no. 4, July 2011, pp. 1177-1183. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/14693062.2011.579315. 21 Nov. 2017.

This report by Benjamin Sovacool covers the different methods of coastal defense

management. I learned about both hard and soft defense mechanisms to address

rising sea levels on the coast. I mostly focused on Sovacools report on the Maldivians

Ministry of Tourism of implementing organic soft solutions to address the effects of

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rising sea levels while maintaining the beauty of the Maldives. Sovacools report helped

me address potential nay-sayers on the unattractiveness of implementing hard coastal

defense like sea walls on U.S. coastal regions to defend from the rising seas.

Stenzel, Maria. Antarctic Ice Shelf. Digital image. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov.

2017. <http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/sea-level-rise/#/sea-level01-

iceberg-antarctica_16592_600x450.jpg>.

An image by Maria Stenzel from the National Geographic was used as a multimodal

source in the paper.

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Reflection

The Advocacy Project paper has been easier to research for with the HCP paper under my

belt. The HCP served as a foundation for this paper helping me understand the issue about rising

sea levels to a larger extent. The research I have done for the HCP exposed me to certain

solutions that I soon advocated for in this paper. The skill of proper research and smarter reading

we practiced throughout the quarter made my research process for this paper better and painless.

The process of setting up my AP paper for my exploratory and rough draft has been

similar to my process of writing my HCP rough draft. Due to the HCP being heavily connected

to my AP, most of the pre-write work for the AP has been done. The information I needed

regarding sea level rise and solutions I will advocate for has been shaped when I was writing my

HCP paper. The road to the rough draft for my AP paper consisted of structuring my paper and

researching to fulfill this structure. Due to the endless possibilities of sources for the AP paper,

the UCI Library research databases and google helped me find scholarly articles and related

credible news articles that help support the solutions I was advocating for. The final product of

my AP rough draft has been fueled by class activities like the modeling exercise, making my AP

paper more than just a piece of paper filled with words. These activities showed me techniques I

have not used in major papers before like section headers, proper captions, and pull quotes.

One of the biggest focus I had on this paper was my choice and use of multimodal

sources and captions. Class work made me realize that I need to make my integration of

multimodal sources and captions better. Looking at my HCP showed me my poor execution of

using a variety of multimodal images and properly captioning images I used. The activities that

helped me the most with this improvement is the modeling exercise and the revision activity. The

modeling exercise, specifically the paper about poaching, helped me understand that informative
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papers should also include multimodal pieces beyond charts and graphs to establish rhetoric. The

paper inspired me to use images beyond the infographics I planned on using for this paper. The

revision activity for multimodal sources featured an article that exhibited great use of images

accompanied by well thought out captions. As I worked on revising my AP paper, these

activities helped me improve my use of multimodal sources and captions compared to my HCP.

In conclusion, though most of the heavy research and nitty-gritty work has been done on

my HCP, the AP paper proved to be the most significant in showing the techniques I have

acquired throughout the quarter. Writing the HCP and AP was a great learning experience that I

know can help me in the future. Being exposed to writing techniques throughout the quarter

made writing this paper special. These techniques made me realize that this paper was not just a

persuasive essay filled with fancy words to educate my audience. The AP paper was special due

to different techniques I learned and used throughout, and I hope that I showed improvement in

this paper when it comes to informing my audience while establishing good rhetoric through the

use of multimodal sources and literary techniques like pull quotes and meaningful captions.