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  • IN THE U.S. PORT CITY OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA -- HOME TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST NAVAL BASE

  • -- NO ONE IS FAR FROM THE OCEAN, WHICH IS GREAT FOR WATER SPORTS, BOATING AND FISHING...

  • BUT PROBLEMATIC WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

  • SEA LEVEL IS RISING FASTER IN NORFOLK THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE U.S. EAST COAST, IN PART

  • BECAUSE THE CITY SITS ON FLAT LAND, MUCH OF IT BEING FILLED-IN MARSH THAT'S NOW AT SEA

  • LEVEL AND IT IS SINKING.

  • RESIDENTS REPORT THEIR HOMES AND STREETS ARE NOW FLOODING MORE THAN EVER DURING STORMS

  • AND TIDES. VOA'S ROSANNE SKIRBLE WENT TO THE CITY FOR A FIRSTHAND LOOK AND TALKED WITH

  • ON ASSIGNMENT'S REBECCA WARD ABOUT WHAT SHE SAW.

  • NORFOLK SITS AT THE MOUTH OF THE LARGEST ESTUARY IN THE UNITED STATES. THERE'S AN INTRICATE

  • NETWORK OF RIVERS AND CREEKS THAT DIP INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. WITH SEA LEVEL PREDICTED

  • TO RISE ANOTHER METER BY 2100, CITY INFRASTRUCTURE IS AT RISK, SAYS SKIP STILES, HEAD OF THE

  • ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP WETLANDS WATCH.

  • "EVERY BRIDGE THAT WE BUILD TODAY, EVERY ROAD THAT WE BUILD TODAY, EVERY SEWER LINE THAT

  • WE PUT IN PLACE TODAY IS GOING TO FACE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FROM SEA LEVEL RISE OVER ITS USEFUL

  • LIFE BEFORE IT'S REPLACED AGAIN."

  • I VISITED A HOME THAT SAT RIGHT NEAR, STEPS AWAY FROM THE WATER - I WAS SHOWN HOW FAR

  • UP THE STAIRS IT WOULD GO. ALSO PEOPLE THAT I TALK TO WERE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING ROUTINE

  • - THEY HAVE TO MOVE THEIR CARS ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN THE TIDES ARE HIGH.

  • SO WHAT'S THE CITY DOING? OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE ROADS - THERE IS INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THEY

  • HAVE GOT TO DEAL WITH.

  • THERE IS A $1 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN.

  • IN THE SHORT-TERM, NORFOLK HAS RESPONDED WITH MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS, SUCH AS RAISING

  • ROADS AND HOUSES, AND PROTECTING ITS DOWNTOWN WITH FLOOD WALLS, PUMPING STATIONS, AND STORM

  • DRAINS. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER RON WILLIAMS SAYS THIS MAJOR ARTERY WILL BE ONE-HALF METER

  • HIGHER WHEN THIS PROJECT IS DONE.

  • "WE HAVE IDENTIFIED IS ABOUT $1 BILLION WORTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS CRITICAL TO PROTECT

  • AND MITIGATE DURING COASTAL STORMS."

  • MITIGATION IS IMPORTANT. BUT ATTENTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND TO THE CAUSES OF CLIMATE

  • CHANGE IS EXCEEDINGLY IMPORTANT TO DO. WHETHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD CAN AFFORD TO DO THESE

  • INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES... IF NORFOLK IN A RICH COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO THESE INFRASTRUCTURE

  • PROJECTS, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE REST OF THE WORLD?

  • AND FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHO LIVES THERE, I GUESS THEY HAVE A DECISION - YOU KNOW PUT

  • THE MONEY INTO THEIR HOUSE OR SOMEHOW PREVENT THE WATER FROM COMING IN IF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE

  • TO LIVE THERE. I MEAN IS THIS KIND OF A QUESTION?

  • THIS IS A QUESTION. PEOPLE ARE MOVING OUT. YOU'LL SEE LOTS OF FOR-SALE SIGNS. BUT THEY

  • ARE DOING SOME CREATIVE THINGS THOUGH - THEY'RE BUILDING NEW WETLANDS TO ABSORB SOME OF THIS

  • WATER. BUT STILL, IS THAT GOING TO BE YOUR DECISION? IF YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE... IF YOU'RE

  • GOING TO RETIRE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON THE COAST OF UNITED STATES - ARE YOU GOING TO

  • RETIRE TO NORFOLK WHERE YOU GOT THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS? BUT AGAIN THERE'S ALSO A HUGE

  • MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 45% OF THE ECONOMY IN THIS REGION.

  • I TALKED TO PEOPLE AT THE NAVAL BASE. THEY ARE ON THIS PROJECT AND THEY ARE AS INTERESTED

  • AS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES OR HAVE TO RAISE THEIR HOMES ON DOING SOMETHING

  • ABOUT THIS BECAUSE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY THAT'S AT STAKE.

  • IS THERE ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF JUST RAISING THE ROADS AND RAISING THE DEVELOPMENT. YOU

  • KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MITIGATE THE CAUSES FOR HAVING TO DO THIS?

  • WELL IT'S OUR FACTORY, IT'S OUR TRANSPORTATION AND IT'S OUR BUILDINGS. THERE IS A MOVEMENT

  • AND IT'S GROWING AND GROWING - A GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR A NEW TREATY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS

  • EMISSIONS BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO BE SOLVED IS WE HAVE TO STOP WHAT'S

  • CAUSING IT.

  • AND OUR THANKS AGAIN TO VOA'S ROSANNE SKIRBLE. NOW COASTAL FLOODING AFFECTS MANY PLACES AROUND

  • THE WORLD. SCIENTISTS SAY EVEN A SMALL SEA LEVEL INCREASE CAUSES THE WATER TO EAT AWAY

  • AT THE SHORELINE, LEADING TO HIGHER TIDAL SURGES DURING STORMS.

IN THE U.S. PORT CITY OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA -- HOME TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST NAVAL BASE

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