Massive Science posted a timely story about how rising sea levels are endangering small towns along the Louisiana coast. The price of saving one town–a staggering billion dollars. How do we decide which areas to save and which to abandon as the sea level continues to rise? In the case of Louisiana, the coast is also sinking due to loss of sediment caused by channelizing the Mississippi, which dumps sediment that would have been deposited on coastal lands in the past out into the deep Gulf of Mexico instead. Erosion from storms like Laura also affect local conditions. Some areas are also sinking due to removal of ground water or oil. Read about what it would take to save a coastal town here.

Source: National Park Service via Commons Wikimedia