Study Shows Boston Will Be Underwater by 2100

By Becca Manning

Boston may be past the point of no return when it comes to rising tides caused by global climate change, according to a recent study published by the National Academy of Sciences.

The study reveals that Boston, along with New York, Miami and more than 1,700 other cities and towns in the United States, will be underwater by the year 2100, without "dramatic cuts" in greenhouse gas emissions to slow down global climate change, according to an article published Monday by The Guardian.

The report states that the fate of Boston and other communities may be “locked in” by greenhouse gas emissions that are already built up in the earth’s atmosphere. Even a complete reduction of all carbon emissions would have minimal effect on the situation, taking some time to cause a lowering in global temperatures, according to the Guardian article.

However, significant changes now—beyond what President Barack Obama and others have agreed to—could save nearly 1,000 communities from falling under water in the next 87 years, expert Benjamin Strauss told The Guardian.

Strauss authored the paper, titled “Rapid Accumulation of Committed Sea-Level Rise from Global Warming,” that was published in the 2013 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more at theguardian.com.

Boston officials have already turned their attention to the coming problems associated with climate change. In February, The Boston Harbor Association released a report looking at the city’s vulnerability to coastal flooding and possible mitigation plans for the harbor area. The full report can be viewed at tbha.org/preparing-rising-tide-report.