Hartford Courant — ‘This will all be underwater’: As climate change arrives in Connecticut…

NOAA models show that the Willow Point neighborhood of Groton is one of the areas vulnerable to sea-level rise. Residents say flooding in their community has gone from a periodic occurrence to a regular fact of life. “The last 10 years is when we’ve really recognized that the water level is really rising,” said resident Paul Fox, whose home is at the tip of Spence Point (above) in the Willow Point neighborhood. “Low tide is close to what high tide used to be.” Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

Nov 4, 2021

By Eliza Fawcett and Alex Puterman

GROTON, CT — Along the banks of the Mystic River in Groton, Zell Steever points to landmarks he doesn’t expect to survive climate change.

A row of buildings across the water. A gleaming new structure at the end of Gravel Street. Handsome clapboard houses with wide lawns, many dating back to the mid-19th century. All are in danger, says Steever, a white-bearded environmentalist who chairs Groton’s resilience and sustainability task force.

Around the corner, West Main Street bustles with New England charm. Visitors step into boutique clothing stores, shop for books and eat doughnuts in the September sun.

“Oh, by the way,” Steever says, gesturing widely, “this will all be underwater.”

Climate change has already arrived in Connecticut, as demonstrated this summer by scorching temperatures and punishing storms. In the coming decades, its effects will only accelerate.

While the entire state will face increasing impacts of climate change, seaside communities like Groton will feel them most acutely and immediately. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the planet, storms will become more frequent and more intense. Property will be damaged and people displaced. In many cases, the consequences will be particularly severe for vulnerable groups, including the poor and the elderly.

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