Left unchecked, sea-level rise could cost Virginia $79 billion this century, ODU study says

The Hague neighborhood in Norfolk floods during May. As sea levels rise in Virginia, floods are becoming more common, especially in coastal areas like Norfolk. (File photo: Katherine Hafner/WHRO)

The impacts of large natural disasters — like fires and hurricanes — are pretty easy to demonstrate.

But the damage from sea-level rise can be harder to illustrate, said Bob McNab, director of Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. Changes happen over months and years, rather than all at once.

“You just kind of adjust slowly as the climate changes,” McNab said. “And that’s why it’s harder to combat.”

So, how to grab people’s attention on the issue? Follow the money.

That’s what a new ODU analysis tries to do. Researchers estimated exactly how much coastal Virginia could lose if nothing changes to confront sea-level rise and flooding.

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