Ralph Santos 1.) How to improve my Topic Sentences?

Writing 39C (Advocacy Project) 2.) Is there information I failed to cover?

Price 3.) What needs to be done to improve my paper for a better score?

11-14-2017

The Seven Seas War: Dealing with the Rising Seas

Figure 1:
The mesmerizing Antarctic Ice Shelf
shown 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 possess a huge threat that requires the worlds attention. The

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

and fresh water contamination are the result of ocean water rising and flowing inland. For a

country such as the United States, these consequences lead to social and economic problems. For

example, flooding has led to the relocation of families who live on coastal regions in the country.

Moreover, flooding has disrupted business leading to economic dents. Research has shown that

the rate of sea levels has reached alarming levels, and these consequences can reach more

regions if the trend continues. Rising sea levels is a complex issue that cannot be fixed over

night. Multiple solutions are required to address such a complicated problem.

The breaching seas must be fought through the efforts of the government and their

citizens. A way to reverse the trend is to attack its core, global warming. Collaborative efforts

between officials and people can jump start environmental projects that can alleviate global
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warming causing the rising trend to slow down. Alternatively, since rising sea levels can only be

slowed down and not stopped, infrastructure projects like building seawalls and raising

infrastructure must be considered to prevent natural disasters caused by the rising seas.

Unfortunately, such projects have been met with opposition due to their starting costs. Overall,

damages caused by rising sea levels can only be dealt with by unified efforts addressing global

warming and infrastructure projects.

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.

Building seawalls is a proven way to inhibit encroaching waters to disrupt the United

States coastal regions. The U.S. general coastline spans over 12,000 miles with huge cities such

as San Francisco, California. According to Jochen Hinkel, a senior researcher at the Global

Climate Forum, We dont know by how much or by when. But [Sea Levels] going to rise. So

our future planning must consider that. (Lehmann) The rising sea can only be slowed down, not

stopped. Seawalls provide long term protection to the people and resources of the coast to ensure

the safety of civilians while protecting physical assets from the rising seas.

Figure 2:
Estimated cost shown from 2009 of defending
Coastal Regions from the rising seas. Economic
advances show an increase in cost the longer we
wait in constructing these walls.
(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)
Cost has been a huge factor why sea defenses have not been implemented in a bigger

scale in the United States. Figure 2 shows the significant difference between 2000 and 2009

dollars showing the cost of creating a mile-long sea wall exceeding 35 million 2009 dollars in
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addition to maintaining these walls annually which can cost between 5 and 10 percent of the

building price according to James Koch of the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy. (Koch

53) With thousands of miles to cover across the U.S. coast, the expensive price tag for this type

of defense has put projects on hold.

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

damages caused by the rising seas is not just a problem for coastal states. Major states like

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

political and economical influence. If these states fall victim to the trend, all states will feel its

wrath. 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 as sea levels rise and socioeconomic

development increases the number of people and value of assets in the coastal floodplain.

(Hinkel 1) Trillions of dollars and millions of lives can be saved if we invest in protecting the

coast effectively and early.

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 in minimizing the damages caused by rising sea

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

in businesses and the relocation of affected areas. Investing in strengthening our infrastructure

will result in lowering repair cost and disruptions that can hurt the American economy.

Similar to sea walls, 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

Figure 3: percent has been committed. (3) The
An updated figure showing the funding gap the
government is providing for crucial infrastructure
government continues to underfund
across the nation.
(Source: Center on Budget and Policy Prorities,
Its Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure) 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.

Research indicates that investing in infrastructure repair can fuel economic growth in

addition to protecting resources. McNichols article claims that the condition of roads, bridges,
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schools and other physical assets greatly affects 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

be improved to survive these conditions. The economic benefits of strong infrastructure

overshadow the cost to repair infrastructure. For example, roads, ports, and airports are necessary

for trade to progress. In addition to the economic benefits, improved infrastructure has its use for

the public. 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:
Air pollutants and
deforestation play a huge
factor in climate change.
Limiting these actions will have
an effect in the future of our
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. Stopping global warming will not be easy due to its complexity. Like

rising sea levels, fighting global warming is a complex issue that requires a plethora of solutions.

Regardless of its complexity, decelerating global warming comes down to one big theme, saving

mother nature. On a larger scale, reducing carbon emissions and stopping deforestation is a way

to combat climate change. On the other hand, smarter human decisions, can play a huge rule in

mitigating global warming. Slowing climate change will lead to the decline in the rate of rising

sea levels. Conquer the rising seas by conquering global warming.

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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 have a powerful impact in

mitigating sea level rise and climate change. 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. In addition, chopping down trees

release even more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere stimulating global warming. Therefore,

dealing with global warming starts with reducing air pollution while keeping our forests green.

Additionally, 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 (Seeker) by the year

2100. Despite its proven effectiveness, projects of reducing carbon emissions and deforestation

have been challenging due to the unwillingness of related industries to comply and cooperate in

saving the environment. As a matter of fact, a Carbon Disclosure Project report from the United

Kingdom suggests that only 100 companies are responsible for over 70 percent of carbon

emissions. (Carbon Disclousre Project) Also, 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. 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) The government and citizens must continue to take action and urge major

companies in several industries to look for alternatives to give mother nature a helping hand

against climate change.

Making conscious decisions regarding pollution makes common citizens huge assets in

stopping global warming. Companies are not the only ones that can make significant changes to
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fight climate change. We need to make smarter decisions to help the only planet we live in.

Even though one persons decisions to help the environment may not be as influential as one

company, these contributions add up considering that there are millions of people living in the

United States. Figure 5 shows sectors that contribute to gas emissions that harm our atmosphere.

Figure 5:
A 2013 recording of greenhouse gas emissions
broken down into different sectors. With
electricity being the leading sector at 31
percent. (Source: World Resources Institute,
Putting a Price on Carbon: Reducing
Emissions)

Majority of these sectors can be greatly influenced by smarter decisions by regular citizens.

Electricity, a resource 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 green house 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. Alternatively, the beauty of technological advancement today is the

noticeable increase of availability of efficient home appliances. People have the power to

consider making smart changes to their homes to minimize energy consumption making small
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changes. In fact, lowering energy consumption can save families a lot of money while saving the

environment.
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Works Cited

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>.

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

Carbon Majors Database. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

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

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

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>.

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>.

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>.

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

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

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

waters/>.

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

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.

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>.