President Donald Trump has announced he intends to pull the US out of the Paris climate deal, following through with a key campaign promise.
The news comes at a time when climate scientists are fearing the worst.
In January, a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency hinted at the possibility of an “extreme” sea-level rise that would put some American landmarks, towns, and cities underwater during this century. That scenario is considered unlikely, but possible.
Research and advocacy group Climate Central took the projections laid out in NOAA’s report and created a plugin for Google Earth that shows how catastrophic the damage would be if the flooding happened today. You can install it (directions here) and see anywhere in the US.
We surveyed Washington, DC, to see what might happen in the president's backyard.
In a worst case scenario, flooding — caused by polar melting and ice-sheet collapses — could cause a sea level rise of 10 to 12 feet by 2100.
Here's Washington, DC, today. The famed Potomac River runs through it.
And here's what Washington, DC, might look like in the year 2100 — as seen on Climate Central's plugin for Google Earth. Ocean water causes the river to overflow.
Let's take a look at some of the famed landmarks in our nation's capital.
The National Mall drew "the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration," at Trump's swearing-in, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer. It sits at the foot of the US Capitol.
Future inaugurations wouldn't quite be the same.
President Trump delivered his address on withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, which 195 countries signed in December 2015, from the Rose Garden at the White House.
In 2100, the White House could have an oceanfront view.
More than four million people visit the National World War II Memorial annually.
The memorial would be completely underwater after devastating flooding.
Americans could say goodbye to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
The US Capitol and the Supreme Court would barely go unscathed.
The nearby US Botanic Garden, home of about 65,000 plants, would also be a goner.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sits three miles south of downtown Washington, DC. Planes take off and land over the Potomac River.
The tarmac would be washed away by flooding.
Here's Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump has spent more than a quarter of his early presidency.
Source: Business Insider
He owns the Mar-a-Lago luxury resort and club, better known as the "Winter White House."
If sea levels rose by as much as 12 feet, the Mar-a-Lago estate would not fare well.
But Trump will be out of office long by the time anything like that happens.
