On April 16, 2007, an early spring storm broke through Cape Cod’s barrier beach. Overnight, the citizens of Chatham had to contend with as much sea level rise as most communities will face in the next fifty years. A dozen homes were swept away in as many months and, today, a new inlet is aimed at the heart of the village. Another hundred houses and the third most lucrative fishing port in New England will be endangered in the coming years.
Bill Sargent tells the story of this seemingly microcosmic event, but it is not unique. Nearly 200 other American coastal communities will face similar problems as their barrier beaches break down over the next twenty years. Sea Level Rising is a clarion call for coastal communities to prepare for the chronic effects of global warming. Most importantly, it puts a human face on global warming, arguably the gravest threat to ever face human civilization.