Socio-economic effects of Sea Level Rise

Socio-economic effects

North Carolina’s coast has relatively low population density

compared to the rest of the United States Atlantic seaboard. The U.S.

Census Bureau estimates that, in 2005, approximately 900,000

people lived in the 20 coastal counties, and, between 1990 and

2000, population increased by 16%. Population growth and second

home development have accelerated demand for coastal housing.

The Census Bureau also indicates that, in the three most populated

coastal counties, Carteret, Dare and New Hanover, the number of

housing units increased by 18–39% from 1990 to 2000. Property

values increased rapidly, with $43 billion dollars of property in

these three coastal counties [2]. Similar economic trends can be

seen in many coastal areas, creating additional pressure for coastal

managers.

Fig. 4. The configuration of property ownership in coastal North Carolina, as shown in this map of the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula, will make it difficult for wetland habitats to migrate into upland areas (as they become wetter with SLR) because of upland private property ownership (in white) and land-use patterns.

Sea-level rise research and dialogue in North Carolina:
Creating windows for policy change
Benjamin Poulter a,*, Rebecca L. Feldman b,c, Mark M. Brinson d,e, Benjamin P. Horton f,
Michael K. Orbach b, Samuel H. Pearsall g, Enrique Reyes d,e, Stanley R. Riggs d,e,
John C. Whitehead h
a Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Earth System Science, Telegrafenberg A62, 14412 Potsdam, Germany
b Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Beaufort, NC, USA
c Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, NOAA Climate Program Office, Silver Spring, MD, USA
d East Carolina University, Coastal Resources Management Program and the Department of Biology, Greenville, NC, USA
e East Carolina University, Coastal Resources Management Program and the Department of Geological Sciences, Greenville, NC, USA
f University of Pennsylvania, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Philadelphia, PA, USA
g The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Chapter, Durham, NC, USA
h Appalachian State University, Department of Economics, Boone, NC, USA