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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Report: Rising Tides, Rising Concerns Over Sea Level Rise

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Monday, August 22, 2016   

OUTERBANKS, N.C. — With 300 miles of shoreline, North Carolina is one of the states most vulnerable to sea-level rise. According to a report from the National Wildlife Federation, sea levels could rise by six feet or more by 2100 if steps aren't taken soon to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow the progress of global warming.

North Carolina ranked third in the country in installed solar capacity, said Tim Gestwicki, CEO at the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. And the state is making progress.

"We're looking at how do we try and mitigate and go into adaption for rising tides,” Gestwicki said. “And one way we can do it is try and deal with carbon emissions, and North Carolina is a leader in renewable energy."

Overwhelming evidence shows global temperatures on the rise. And as temperatures rise, seawater expands and sea levels rise along the shore. There are more than 3 million acres of wetlands in coastal North Carolina and 2.5 million acres of estuarine waters. Rising sea levels threaten almost $7 billion of property in the state.

Shannon Heyck-Williams, senior manager of Climate and Energy Policy at the National Wildlife Federation, said the sea level is rising at twice the global average in the Tar Heel State. And the frequency of severe storms and hurricanes complicates efforts to protect wildlife and coastal land.

"North Carolina is severely threatened by sea-level rise and related storm surges - where the incoming storm waters from increasingly intense hurricanes and other storms that you see in a warming world,” Heyck-Williams said.

According to Gestwicki, Mother Nature has given the state plenty of natural protection from severe weather; we just need to let her do her job.

"Our cushion we're afforded in North Carolina is one of the largest estuaries or wetlands that filter and buffer against rising tides,” Gestwicki said. “And certainly we need to protect our coastal rivers and the vegetative buffers that come in there."

The popular Outer Banks area of the state contributed $21 billion from visitor spending to North Carolina's economy in 2014, and $1 billion in state tax revenue.


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