Climate Change Threatens Hazardous Sites in Coastal U.S.

Thu Nov 20 2025 19:13:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A recent study warns that thousands of hazardous sites along the U.S. coast face flooding due to rising sea levels, with marginalized communities bearing the brunt of the risk.

According to a new study, up to 5,500 hazardous sites in the U.S. could be vulnerable to flooding by 2100, posing significant health risks to nearby communities, especially marginalized groups. Researchers stress the importance of proactive measures to mitigate these risks.

If heat-trapping pollution from burning coal, oil, and gas continues unchecked, thousands of hazardous sites across the United States risk being flooded from sea level rise by the turn of the century, posing serious health risks to nearby communities, according to a new study.

Researchers identified 5,500 sites that store, emit, or handle sewage, trash, oil, gas, and other hazards that could face coastal flooding by 2100, with much of the risk already locked in due to past emissions. More than half of these sites are projected to face flood risk much sooner — as soon as 2050. Low-income communities of color and others are at the greatest risk.

With even moderate reductions in planet-warming emissions, researchers found that roughly 300 fewer sites could be at risk by the century's end.

“Our goal with this analysis was to try to get ahead of the problem by looking far into the future,” said Lara J. Cushing, associate professor at UCLA and co-author of the study published in Nature Communications.

Cushing also emphasized the potential for mitigation and improving resilience, highlighting that there is still time to address these challenges. The study was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and builds on previous work from California.

Climate change is accelerating sea level rise due to the melting of glaciers and expansion of warming waters. Various U.S. coastal areas are experiencing a quicker rise in sea level than the global average due to factors like erosion and land sinking from groundwater extraction, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Thomas Chandler, director at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, remarked that this significant study should capture public and policymaker attention.

The researchers approached the data by identifying and classifying hazardous sites along U.S. coasts. They forecasted each site's flood risk by utilizing historical sea level data and projections for 2050 and 2100. They assessed community proximity to hazardous sites to evaluate risk factors.

The findings reveal that the majority of at-risk sites are located in Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, California, New York, and Massachusetts, intensifying the conversation around climate justice and the urgent need for asset protection in vulnerable communities.