We started Earth Art Bainbridge to raise awareness about the realities of climate change. Here’s some reality for you. A new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at the amount of sea level rise that’s already “locked in” – that is, even if we were to stop burning all fossil fuels tomorrow, the sea level rise that would happen over the next few decades. Bainbridge (and the west coast) do better than many other places (e.g. New Orleans, Miami and Boston are toast), but we still have some losses that are going to happen, no matter what.

Climate Central released a new mapping tool this week showing both the minimum sea level rise in the best case scenario, and the sea level rise if we continue on our current path. Either way we lose some valuable property on Bainbridge Island (bye bye Point Monroe, Port Madison & Rockaway Beach!). With a minimum of 1 meter (3 feet) of sea level rise predicted by the end of this century, and more likely closer to 2 meters (6 feet), it does make one wonder: when will the homeowners with valuable properties who will be underwater realize they will have no home to leave to their children? At what point do these properties become “unsellable”? Will the home owners go looking for compensation? And if they do, who will pay? At what point is it the City’s responsibility to stop giving permits for building in vulnerable areas (the huge multi-million dollar home that’s currently being built on Rockaway comes to mind)?

Food for thought on this grey morning.

Articles at Phys.org and Huffington Post about this new study.