Human Activity Makes Coastal Flooding 12 Times More Likely Today

Coastal flooding has become far more common due to human influence. Extreme sea level events, once rare, are now about 12 times more likely. Most coastal floods today would not have happened without human-caused climate change. Greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels have driven sea level rise since the 1970s. Human-caused warming has been the main factor behind rising seas since the 1960s. Between 2000 and 2018, climate change was responsible for 58% of days with extreme water levels.

The increased frequency of extreme coastal flooding now affects regions worldwide. Current protections, such as those in New Orleans, may not hold beyond the next few decades. While renewable energy like solar and wind is growing, global warming remains on a middle path—neither the worst nor the best case. The risk of coastal flooding continues to grow. More adaptation measures are needed to address the changing threat. Human activity has already reshaped the likelihood and severity of these events.