标题：State and local governments plan for development of most land vulnerable to rising sea
level along the US Atlantic coastThe opinions expressed in this letter do not necessarily reflect the official positions
of either the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, any state or national Sea Grant Program, or the US
Government.
摘要：Rising sea level threatens existing coastal wetlands. Overall ecosystems could often survive
by migrating inland, if adjacent lands remained vacant. On the basis of 131 state and local
land use plans, we estimate that almost 60% of the land below 1 m along the US Atlantic
coast is expected to be developed and thus unavailable for the inland migration of
wetlands. Less than 10% of the land below 1 m has been set aside for conservation.
Environmental regulators routinely grant permits for shore protection structures (which
block wetland migration) on the basis of a federal finding that these structures have no
cumulative environmental impact. Our results suggest that shore protection does have a
cumulative impact. If sea level rise is taken into account, wetland policies that
previously seemed to comply with federal law probably violate the Clean Water Act.
