The Economics of Sea Level Rise

Several PIE-Rivers Partners in the Parker River Watershed are advising on a new collaboration between the Town of Newbury and City of Newburyport, Exploring the Fiscal Implications of Sea Level Rise.  With 4.2 feet of sea level rise expected by 2070, it is critical that our coastal communities and their neighbors work together to better understand how our region’s economy will be impacted. Other partners include Engineering Consulting firm Horsley-Witten and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, which is funding the project through the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. 

The report builds off prior work by the partners to create “an analysis and exploration of the fiscal and economic impacts to the two communities of sea level rise on Plum Island.”As with other resiliency planning efforts, this work will benefit both future planning in these communities and help encourage similar efforts across the PIE-Rivers Region.

Advisors for the Sea Level Rise project include representatives from CZM, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and PIE-Rivers Municipal Reps from the Towns of Newbury and Ipswich.

You can visit the website for more information and maps at https://www.plumislandsealevelrise.com/