Sea Level Rise: Fact and Fiction

Speaker: John Englander, Oceanographer and Climate Expert

Date and Time: Saturday, October 5, 2019 @ 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Location: The Forum, Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland, CA 94607
--Three minutes walk from the Lake Merritt BART Station.
--Parking at Laney College lot on East 8th Street; $2 all day.

Have you ever wondered how sea level rise will impact Lake Merritt, and all of Oakland? Are you aware that existing heat in the oceans will cause the seas to rise for centuries, no matter how much carbon emissions are reduced today? Do you have an inkling of why ocean levels are rising but want to know more, and how we can prepare for it?

If so, join The Lake Merritt Institute and co-sponsors, the Frederick E. Hart Foundation for Educational Opportunity, and St. Paul's Episcopal School for a rousing presentation by John Englander, an expert on sea level rise and its societal and financial impacts.

A considerable range of estimates have been made regarding how high the tides will rise, and when. These projections are based on periods of rise in the geological past, current measurements, and projections based on computer models incorporating our growing knowledge of how fast the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps are melting.

Unfortunately, most model projections have greatly under estimated the rate of melting. Even though we cannot predict how much and how fast the waters will rise, we can, and must, begin to plan for the future. To not do so is to subject our children, and theirs, to unconscionable expense, loss of property, and questions about why we did this to them.

Flatlands Threatened by Sewage: To learn about how sea level rise impacts sewage overflows, read this report by Climate Central: https://www.climatecentral.org/news/sea-level-rise-oakland-sewer-17567

Poorest Communities most Threatened: https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oaklands-poorest-neighborhoods-will-the-most-susceptible-to-flooding-due-to-climate-change-and-sea-level-rise/Content?oid=6401808

To hear John Englander’s TED talk, go to https://www.johnenglander.net/