--- title: "Scientists Have Grim News for Southern Florida" description: "Experts are warning that if climate change continues to go unchecked, most of Florida's southern coast will be underwater, Miami included, by 2060." date: "2022-09-20" modified: "2022-09-20" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-grim-news-southern-florida" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "florida" - "sea level rise" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Have Grim News for Southern Florida ![Experts are warning that if climate change continues to go unchecked, most of Florida's southern coast will be underwater, Miami included, by 2060.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Miami Plans If you're planning a trip to Miami or the Florida Keys, you may want to book tickets sooner rather than later. Experts are warning that if climate change continues unchecked, most of Florida's southern coast will be underwater in just a few decades. "The tide is coming in and eventually it's not going to go back out," Harold Wanless, a University of Miami geologist and professor of geography and sustainable development, [told *CBS News*]()*.* Menacing! "Climate change is real," he continued. "This isn't something that might happen." ## Doomsday Glaciers Between [fires](), [floods](), and — oh yeah — [*doomsday glaciers*](), this summer season has made the threat of climate change all the more clear. And while folks everywhere are [feeling the deadly effects](), the US' southern coasts face the particular threat of being swallowed by the ocean. Speaking of doomsday glaciers, by the way, Wanless explained to *CBS* that those melting oceanic ice mountains are a major part of South Florida's issue. "The problem is, sea level is rising at an accelerating rate now because of ice melting in Greenland and Antarctica," the geologist added. "So for now what is just a high tide — a rare high tide... is going to become a frequent high tide." Of course, those glaciers didn't just decided to melt on their own. Glacier melt — and so, sea level rise — is the result of our warming oceans, which in turn have been wrought by the overproduction of manmade greenhouse gases. "Over 90 percent of the extra heat we've created," Wanless told the outlet, "is transferred to the ocean." ## Time for Change As far as scale? According to Wanless, nearly 60 percent of Miami-Dade county will be underwater by 2060. That's a lot of land, not to mention homes, businesses, and habitats. This CBS report comes on the heels of another, and [equally troubling](), [land loss analysis]() by research nonprofit Climate Central. Based on current emissions levels, it found that by 2050, the US will have lost roughly 4.4 million acres of land and 650,000 individual properties to sea level rise by 2050. In sum? Not good. As it's always worth noting, we do still have time to mitigate at least some of the climate crises that humankind is currently barreling toward. But that's only if we actually... well, act. Kylie, next time you go to Miami, [maybe just fly first class]()? **READ MORE:** [*Scientists warn South Florida coastal cities will be affected by sea level rise*]() \[*CBS News*\] **More on sea level rise:** *[Hundreds of Thousands of American Homes Will Be Swallowed by the Sea, Scientists Say]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()