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Trump announces Pam Bondi of FL as new attorney general pick, hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws; House passes bill targeting nonprofits in NY and nation; NM researcher studies why pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are on the rise; Researchers link better outcomes to MN adoption reforms.

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Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Report: Rising Sea Levels Threaten Wildlife

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Wednesday, August 31, 2016   

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Rising sea levels from global climate change are threatening wildlife, recreation and economies along the America's eastern seacoast, but a new report outlines steps to reduce the impact and adapt to changes.

The National Wildlife Federation report, “Changing Tides,” says sea levels could rise more than 6 feet by the end of this century.

According to Ray Najjar, a professor of oceanography at Penn State University, the impact on coastal areas of such a rapid increase could be devastating.

"The amount of damage that we see will depend first on how much sea level rises, and then second on how well prepared we are to handle that," he states.

The report recommends steps such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help slow the rise in sea levels, and ways to adapt so that the impact can be minimized.

Planning for coastal infrastructure, including roads, bridges and sewage systems, needs to take rising sea levels into account.

But Najjar emphasizes there's also a need to ensure that wetlands, which are critical as natural buffers to storms and as wildlife habitat, can adapt as well.

"Zoning our shorelines in a way that allows wetlands to migrate inland is one way that we can maintain the integrity of the ecosystem or at least avoid the largest damages," he explains.

As global temperatures rise, the number of strong hurricanes, the amount of associated rainfall and the impact of storm surges also will increase.

But Najjar believes the worst is not yet inevitable. He points to other ecological crises, such as the hole in the ozone layer that have been dealt with effectively, and reversed course.

"We should be able to solve it, but it's going to take action and it's going to take a lot of work,” he stresses. “And we shouldn't be discouraged by the naysayers that say it's an unsolvable problem or too expensive to solve.”






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