The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World

by Jeff Goodell

Overview

What if Atlantis wasn't a myth, but an early precursor to a new age of great flooding? Across the globe, scientists and civilians alike are noticing rapidly rising sea levels, and higher and higher tides pushing more water directly into the places we live, from our most vibrant, historic cities to our last remaining traditional coastal villages. With each crack in the great ice sheets of the Arctic and Antarctica, and each tick upwards of Earth's thermometer, we are moving closer to the brink of broad disaster.

By century's end, hundreds of millions of people will be retreating from the world's shores as our coasts become inundated and our landscapes transformed. From island nations to the world's major cities, coastal regions will disappear. Engineering projects to hold back the water are bold and may buy some time. Yet despite international efforts and tireless research, there is no permanent solution-no barriers to erect or walls to build-that will protect us in the end from the drowning of the world as we know it.

The Water Will Come is the definitive account of the coming water, why and how this will happen, and what it will all mean. As he travels across twelve countries and reports from the front lines, acclaimed journalist Jeff Goodell employs fact, science, and first-person, on-the-ground journalism to show vivid scenes from what already is becoming a water world.

"An immersive, mildly gonzo and depressingly well-timed book about the drenching effects of global warming, and a powerful reminder that we can bury our heads in the sand about climate change for only so long before the sand itself disappears." (Jennifer Senior, New York Times)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316260206
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	08/07/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	45,761
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and the author of five books, including How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth's Climate, which won the 2011 Grantham Prize Award of Special Merit. Goodell's previous books include Sunnyvale, a memoir about growing up in Silicon Valley, which was a New York Times Notable Book, and Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Atlantis 5

1 The Oldest Story Ever Told 15

2 Living with Noah 31

3 New Climate Land 49

4 Air Force One 74

5 Real Estate Roulette 89

6 The Ferrari on the Seafloor 116

7 Walled Cities 145

8 Island States 165

9 Weapon of Mass Destruction 190

10 Climate Apartheid 213

11 Miami Is Drowning 233

12 The Long Goodbye 261

Epilogue: Condo Diving 290

Acknowledgments 299

Notes 303

Selected Bibliography 327

Index 331

What People are Saying About This

Senator - Sheldon Whitehouse

“Sea level rise is coming. We know this as clearly as we know thermometer measurements, the melting point of ice, and the law of thermal expansion. Jeff Goodell’s book cuts through the fossil-fuel lies, and is a warning I hope we heed while there’s still time.”

author of United States of Jihad, and Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden - Peter Bergen

"In the tradition of Rachel Caron's Silent Spring and Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extiction, Jeff Goodell has written a deeply reported and very well written account of how rising sea levels are reshaping our world. Goodell has traveled seemingly everywhere that helps illuminate this profound shift from Greenland to Venice to Norfolk, Virginia to the Netherlands to Miami and he has written a powerful call to arms that is never preachy but is a very timely reminder that we ignore how climate change is raising sea levels only at great risk to our way of life."

John F. Kerry

"Jeff Goodell's latest contribution to the environmental cause paints an eye-opening portrait of humankind's dilemma as temperatures – and sea levels – continue to rise. The Water Will Come brings together compelling anecdotes from all over the globe and shocking expert assessments that should make the world's few remaining skeptics reconsider. Read this book for a reminder of the stakes – right now, today – and why we have to work harder, faster, to address the climate challenge.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Sixth Extinction - Elizabeth Kolbert

"Jeff Goodell has taken on some of the most important issues of our time, from coal mining to geoengineering. In The Water Will Come, he explains the threat of sea level rise with characteristic rigor and intelligence. The result is at once deeply persuasive and deeply unsettling."

author of The World in 2050 - Laurence C. Smith

"Even if we could halt further growth in greenhouse gas emissions today, we would remain locked into several centuries of sea level rise ahead. Jeff Goodell's THE WATER WILL COME shows us how this stark truth will unfold, right down to individual human experiences."

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Water Will Come

"Jeff Goodell's latest contribution to the environmental cause paints an eye-opening portrait of humankind's dilemma as temperatures — and sea levels — continue to rise. The Water Will Come brings together compelling anecdotes from all over the globe and shocking expert assessments that should make the world's few remaining skeptics reconsider. Read this book for a reminder of the stakes — right now, today — and why we have to work harder, faster, to address the climate challenge."—John F. Kerry

"Jeff Goodell has taken on some of the most important issues of our time, from coal mining to geoengineering. In The Water Will Come, he explains the threat of sea level rise with characteristic rigor and intelligence. The result is at once deeply persuasive and deeply unsettling."—Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Sixth Extinction

"Once you've read an excellent book about climate change, which Jeff Goodell's The Water Will Come most certainly is, you can never unremember the facts... Goodell has been writing about climate change for many years... he's the real deal, committed and making house calls."—Jennifer Senior, The New York Times

"This harrowing, compulsively readable, and carefully researched book lays out in clear-eyed detail what Earth's changing climate means for us today, and what it will mean for future generations... It's a thriller in which the hero in peril is us."—John Green

"Sea level rise is coming. We know this as clearly as we know thermometer measurements, the melting point of ice, and the law of thermal expansion. Jeff Goodell's book cuts through the fossil-fuel lies, and is a warning I hope we heed while there's still time."—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

"A deeply reported and very well-written account of how rising sea levels are reshaping our world. Goodell has written a powerful call to arms that is never preachy but is a very timely reminder that we ignore how climate change is raising sea levels only at great risk to our way of life."—Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad and Manhunt

"Even if we could halt further growth in greenhouse gas emissions today, we would remain locked into several centuries of sea level rise ahead. Jeff Goodell's The Water Will Come shows us how this stark truth will unfold, right down to individual human experiences."—Laurence C. Smith, author of The World in 2050

"For people who want to learn more about climate change, rising sea levels and what it means for our future, read The Water Will Come."—Chris Hayes, MSNBC

"If there was ever a moment when Americans might focus on drainage, this is it. But this fine volume (which expands on [Goodell's] reporting in Rolling Stone) concentrates on the slower and more relentless toll that water will take on our cities and our psyches in the years to come."—Bill McKibben, The Washington Post

"[A] vivid mix of science, history and sociology... Goodell talks about climate change and what it means to every person on the planet in a way that will engage even the non-Nova crowd."—USA Today

"This important [book] is absolutely brilliant scientific journalism, and certainly is a must read for all of the world's citizens."—Forbes

"[The Water Will Come] is a well-rounded, persuasive survey.... A frightening, scientifically grounded, and starkly relevant look at how climate change will affect coastal cities."—Kirkus, Starred Review

"In this engaging book, environmental writer Goodell points out that while sea levels have always risen and fallen, the current rise is driven primarily by the dramatically accelerating melting of the arctic ice caps, and with so many cities on seashores, this will be devastating."—Booklist, Starred Review

"An urgent, clear-eyed and downright terrifying account... Each chapter is scrupulously researched yet written in the clean and accessible style of a journalist who's perfected his craft... Persuasive, timely and vividly constructed, The Water Will Come might be one of the most essential reads of the year."—Shelf Awareness

"Goodell's journalistic writing style is engaging and will be accessible to a wide audience...[a] thought-provoking tour through our watery futures offers both challenge and inspiration."—Jessica Lamond, Science

"A must-read... Goodell writes with insight and compassion, giving us a primer we can use to persuade neighbors, friends, and politicians to take action now."—The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

"One of the most important books of the year... A potent examination not of whether seas will rise in our lifetimes, but of the fact that they will rise."—The Sierra Club

"Cogent reportage on a world going under."—Nature

"A journey to the cities and towns around the globe that are trying to figure out how to adapt to sea levels that are continuing to rise."—Business Insider

"Goodell offers some welcome, practical prescriptions, including relocating airports, reconfiguring pumping systems, and designing big public squares that can collect and drain water to avoid flooding."—The National Book Review

"Immensely engaging—but frequently terrifying."—Yale Climate Connections

"The Water Will Come is an important book, regardless of where you live. It moves the conversation from a nebulous debate on 'climate change' to a concrete set of data points that signal danger in the rising tides."—BookBrowse, Editor's Choice

"A very sobering read, underscoring how unprepared we all are for climate change."—Nicholas Kristoff

"While keenly observing and poignantly describing rapidly changing coastal ecologies, Goodell also reports with empathy and acumen."—Los Angeles Review of Books

From the Publisher

Other writers have told the story of sea-level rise, but perhaps none as compellingly as Goodell. His riveting stories, from traveling to a Native American village on the Alaskan coast with President Obama, to the dilemma facing the Pentagon concerning the world's largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, clarify the implications of sea-level rise and the choices communities face. There are no simple solutions.

The New York Times Book Review - Robert Glennon

Once you've read an excellent book about climate change, which Jeff Goodell's The Water Will Come most certainly is, you can never unremember the facts…Goodell has been writing about climate change for many years…He's the real deal, committed and making house calls.

The New York Times - Jennifer Senior

09/04/2017
Not long after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in 2012, environmental reporter Goodell (How to Cool the Planet) was in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where he “saw broken trees, abandoned cars, debris scattered everywhere,” and he began to realize how poorly prepared cities were to handle rising ocean levels. In this earnest volume, Goodell looks at the rise in sea levels around the globe, refuting climate-change deniers who fail to accept scientific facts. He takes readers to such places as Miami Beach, Fla., and Venice, Italy, which are regularly threatened by floods. The former thrives on tourism and real estate development, but there is little public regard for conservation; South Florida is “a world created by dredgers, cooled by air-conditioning, powered by nuclear energy, dominated by cars, sanitized by insecticides.” When Goodell travels to Venice, famous for its series of canals, he finds residents already acquiesced to ever-deepening pools of water around the sinking city. Discussing Barack Obama’s 2015 visit to the Arctic, Goodell recalls conversations he had with the then president months before international climate talks in Paris that year. Obama understood how important it was to fight climate change but advocated pragmatism. Perusing Goodell’s alarming examination, readers may question the wisdom of such an approach. Agent: Heather Schroder, Compass Talent. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

06/15/2017
Rolling Stone contributing editor Goodell (How To Cool the Planet) looks at sea-level rise caused by Earth's melting ice caps and its effects on coastal settlements. He visited shrinking Greenland and the shores of Alaska, New York City, Virginia, Venice Beach, the Netherlands, the Marshall Islands, and Nigeria, concluding that the inexorable rise is a "slow-motion catastrophe" for low-lying cities and for ports. Some elaborate engineering works are being built to counter higher tides and storm surges for the next few decades. However, most of the present seacoast infrastructure will have to be abandoned eventually. Goodell spent quite a bit of time in Miami Beach, FL, where king tides regularly flood sewers and streets. He interviewed developers and politicians who understand but refuse to discuss the issue. The author offers sensible suggestions for dealing with this difficult situation, but will anyone act on them? Delay will foreclose the option of a managed retreat from the water's edge. VERDICT Anyone worried about the planet should check this one out, and coastal residents in particular should read this and consider their options.—David R. Conn, formerly with Surrey Libs., BC

Library Journal

Goodell describes the effects of climate change in various parts of the world and explains how it will continue to disrupt modern life. With a deep voice that has a light rasp to it, narrator Ian Ferguson imbues the text with an emotional emphasis that resonates with Goodell’s writing. Goodell witnesses a plethora of problems as he visits a dozen countries, and Ferguson captures both the overwhelming negative consequences of unchecked environmental degradation and the author’s concern. From the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy to the melting glaciers of Greenland and the increasing challenges facing Venice as pollution and rising water take their toll, Goodell warns of the danger to our environment and calls upon listeners to act. L.E. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile

Goodell describes the effects of climate change in various parts of the world and explains how it will continue to disrupt modern life. With a deep voice that has a light rasp to it, narrator Ian Ferguson imbues the text with an emotional emphasis that resonates with Goodell’s writing. Goodell witnesses a plethora of problems as he visits a dozen countries, and Ferguson captures both the overwhelming negative consequences of unchecked environmental degradation and the author’s concern. From the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy to the melting glaciers of Greenland and the increasing challenges facing Venice as pollution and rising water take their toll, Goodell warns of the danger to our environment and calls upon listeners to act. L.E. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile

★ 2017-09-12
How the impending rise in sea levels caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the air will make life on the edge of the ocean very different over the next century.In this gripping book, Rolling Stone contributing editor Goodell (How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth's Climate, 2010, etc.) argues that "sea level rise is one of the central facts of our time, as real as gravity." He looks back over the history of human reaction to changing sea levels, particularly during the period 15 millennia ago when the last ice age ended; then, ocean levels were rising 13 feet per century, and people were forced to relocate inland every few years. Now, of course, it's not so simple. As the author points out, "there's a terrible irony in the fact that it's the very infrastructure of the Fossil Fuel Age—the housing developments on the coast, the roads, the railroads, the tunnels, the airports—that make us most vulnerable." Goodell concentrates most of his attention on the East Coast of the United States. He examines how the foundation of Miami Beach, built from scratch as a tourist destination, makes it particularly subject to destruction. He scrutinizes the Navy base at Norfolk and the efforts of those in charge of maintaining it to prepare for the future in a "climate denial hotspot." The author also traveled around the world to explore the possibly futile efforts to preserve Venice from rising water and to see what is occurring in the Marshall Islands, whose future as a nation looks insecure. While Goodell occasionally seems to be leaning heavily on those areas where assignments have sent him, overall, this is a well-rounded, persuasive survey. Notes of hope about the possibilities afforded by human flexibility and ingenuity occasionally lighten some of the grimness.A frightening, scientifically grounded, and starkly relevant look at how climate change will affect coastal cities.

Kirkus Reviews