Mass. launches effort to protect coast residents

[YankeyMCC]

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Massachusetts is kicking off an innovative pilot program to defend the state's 78 coastal communities against rising sea levels and fiercer storms brought on by global warming.
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By getting the nod, Boston, Falmouth, Hull, Oak Bluffs, Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth will be able to tap into state technical expertise to figure out how to slow erosion, for example, or use laws or education strategies to reduce damage from sea level rise and more frequent storms.
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"It's a step forward; I applaud them," said Paul Kirshen, a Tufts University professor and specialist in climate change adaptation. "All the research, including mine, shows it makes a lot more economic, environmental, and social sense to adapt rather than wait a few decades until the full impacts of climate change are felt."

If fairly conservative climate projections hold true for Boston, global warming could raise sea levels enough by the end of the century that Boston Harbor will flood parts of East Boston and the Financial District during a typical winter northeaster. South Boston, Back Bay, and Cambridge could also flood during a Category-2 hurricane, according to simulations produced for the Globe in 2007 by a computer modeling consultant.
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The two-year pilot grant program, known as StormSmart Coasts, will help the communities evaluate ways to protect the state's 1,500-mile shoreline. It will focus on sea level rise and increased flooding events in the community.

"This program gives mayors, zoning boards, and emergency response teams the tools they need to plan for - and recover from - the impact of rising sea levels and severe coastal storms," said Ian Bowles, state Energy and Environment secretary.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/03/mass_launches_effort_to_protect_coast_residents/