Where the sea wall ends

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Galveston Island, Texas, faces fast-rising sea levels and worsening hurricanes, yet real estate developments, including luxury condos, continue in unprotected areas beyond the island’s historic sea wall
• Developers and city planners must now decide how to balance economic growth with increasing environmental threats

🔭 The context: Since 2010, sea levels around Galveston have risen by 8 inches, exacerbated by sinking land
• The island is a microcosm of broader challenges facing the American South, where population growth and coastal development continue, despite growing risks from extreme weather and sea level rise

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The rapid development in coastal areas like Galveston highlights the tension between economic incentives and the environmental costs of building in climate-vulnerable regions, raising concerns about long-term sustainability and climate adaptation

⏭️ What's next: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning a $57 billion “Ike Dike” project to fortify Galveston, including enhancing the sea wall and creating 18 miles of dunes
• Meanwhile, the city is taking steps such as installing large pump stations to manage rising water levels

💬 One quote: "The world has got itself in a fix. We didn’t mitigate [planet-warming emissions]. We are going to have to adapt to it," said Bill Merrell, a professor at Texas A&M

📈 One stat: Since 2010, Galveston has experienced an alarming sea level rise of 8 inches, one of the most rapid changes in the Gulf of Mexico

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