Moon ‘Wobble’ Is a Warning to Coastal Communities to Do More Now

Few things seem as stable and predictable as the moon. It goes from new to full and back again every month. It moves the tides. The same side always faces Earth. And every so often, it temporarily blocks the sun.

But here’s something most people probably don’t know about the moon: It wobbles. Some years, the wobble lowers tides. But in the years ahead, the opposite will happen—the wobble will make high tides much higher. Combine these unusually high tides with sea-level rise caused by climate change, and we have a perfect storm for rapid increases in the frequency of tidal flooding across coastlines, as documented in a new report from NASA and researchers at the University of Hawaii.

However we can prepare for—and mitigate—the rapid increase in the number of days with high tide flooding that could begin as early as the end of this decade for Atlantic and Gulf coast communities, and last for some time. Local, state and federal lawmakers must take responsibility—and act urgently. My prescription for elected leaders is planning, partnerships and policy to help our communities better prepare for floods. That means plan now for tomorrow’s risks; build partnerships to expand resources; and create policies that prioritize resiliency and establish leadership. Citizens must let elected leaders know that it’s not acceptable to push aside new warnings about climate change and more frequent floodwaters lapping at our homes, businesses, and community infrastructure.

Some states are doing just that, but more will have to follow. Virginia is creating a coastal resiliency plan that will address rising seas and stronger storms. And to make sure that diverse views are heard, the commonwealth is consulting with marginalized communities that historically have not been represented in planning, even when those communities are disproportionately affected by flooding.

Maryland and New Jersey have developed policies to promote nature-based solutions to combat future flooding problems. These solutions include open green space, restoration of wetlands, and other projects that maximize nature’s ability to absorb floodwaters.

South Carolina’s new statewide resilience program has first-ever funding to help communities rebuild in a better way and to support local governments with voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties to restore those lands to naturally functioning flood plains. Other states can do the same by creating a similar dedicated funding stream.

These activities and projects—which should start now to reduce future risk to homes, buildings and community infrastructure—are a sound investment for taxpayers. Research shows that every dollar invested in flood mitigation saves $6 in recovery costs.

Congress and the president also play pivotal roles. We need leadership that makes flood resilience a top priority—and not just for our coastal communities. Inland communities experience flooding year after year. In 2019, numerous towns along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers grappled with historic levels of floodwaters. Over the past decade, more flood-related presidential disaster declarations have been issued for inland states than coastal states.

We’ve seen in both the United States and Europe the terrible toll in lives and property that flooding can cause. Our country alone spends billions annually responding to floods. And the worst is yet to come. The moon wobble may be a decade away, but the time to act against rising sea level and flooding is now.

Laura Lightbody is the director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ flood-prepared communities project.

This piece was originally published on The Washington Post on August 2, 2021.