{"id":47424,"date":"2016-12-07T18:44:27","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T00:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=47424"},"modified":"2016-12-15T15:24:50","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T21:24:50","slug":"puerto-rico-a-canary-in-the-coal-mine-for-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/puerto-rico-a-canary-in-the-coal-mine-for-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Puerto Rico: a “canary in the coal mine” for climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janice Cantieri<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Alexi Correa\u2019s coastal town of Loiza, Puerto Rico, families are raising their furniture on milk crates and building second floors onto their concrete homes to adapt to frequent flooding caused by sea level rise. They are witnessing a major impact of climate change right at their doorsteps.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur community is quite scared. We\u2019re not sure what\u2019s going to happen on a day-to-day basis and not quite sure what is going to happen to our houses or the area if the erosion keeps coming,\u201d said Correa, one of Loiza\u2019s community leaders.<\/p>\n

Since 2010, the average sea levels around the island have increased<\/a> at a rate 10 times faster than the historical rate\u2014an increase of about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) per year. While the change might seem small, the resulting coastal erosion has caused significant property damage and flooding.<\/p>\n

In Loiza, a community on the outskirts of San Juan, large sections of the town have fallen into the sea, including a road, a grove of trees, and much of the community\u2019s beachfront park. There is a 5- to 7-foot vertical drop off between the town\u2019s sidewalk and the beach area due to erosion.<\/p>\n