High Tide on Main Street:

Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis

By John Englander with a foreword by Jean-Michel Cousteau

Receive notification of the publication date and qualify for a pre-publication discount by sending your email address to:  book@johnenglander.net.   (Names will kept confidential and will not be sold or shared.)

John's new book, is scheduled to be published in 2012.  "High Tide On Main Street":

• Uses extensive graphics, documents sea level rise, without technical talk or jargon. Covers the surprising forces; historical perspective of regular rise and fall of more than 400 feet; and realistic ranges for increase by 2050 and 2100.
• Explains why sea level will rise for at least 500 years regardless of our efforts to limit global warming.
• Looks at sea level rise apart from the broader issues of climate change.  Rising sea level is special in that it is easy to visualize, unambiguous and will have huge financial impacts globally on homeowners, cities, businesses, and nations.
• Shows how sea level rise is much more urgent than is currently being reported in the media.  Coastal property prices could start being “discounted” in the next decade long before they actually go underwater. This will lead to the destruction of trillions of dollars of assets.
• Examines the limitations of seawalls and other efforts to hold back the sea, which is now rising faster and faster. While they may work for a limited time, they may be a bad investment.
• Stresses the importance of intelligent adaptation.     

The aim of the book is to clearly explain the geologic timescale, the forces, and the probability of what will happen this century. With that understanding, readers can:

• Protect assets of family and friends, before the devaluation starts.
• Encourage community and government leaders to plan for realistic sea level rise of at least several feet this century. Beyond the loss of valuable property, profound damage may affect transportation and utility infrastructure, harbors, sewage treatment, ground water sources, and more.
• Be alert to one specific location and type of event that would virtually announce catastrophic levels of sea level rise, far greater than the present forecast--the so called “doomsday scenario".
• In addition to preparing one’s personal assets and encouraging communities to be better prepared, the book recommends positive efforts at the community and government level:
• The one change in public policy that can ultimately slow the rise in sea level.
• How we need to begin thinking clearly and creatively about “adaptation” to the changes that will start happening by mid-century or sooner.  Innovative large scale civil engineering projects can improve the otherwise disastrous situation ahead, and can also create jobs and positively contribute to our economy.

Receive notification of the publication date and qualify for a pre-publication discount by sending your email address to:  book@johnenglander.net.   (Names will kept confidential and will not be sold or shared.)