S.Res. 551 is a Senate resolution that formally recognizes sea levels are rising at accelerated rates due to human-caused climate change. The resolution documents that sea-level rise has more than doubled over the past century, driven primarily by ocean thermal expansion (seawater expanding as it warms), and projects that average sea levels could rise between 2 and 7.2 feet by 2100 depending on future greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution highlights the significant risks this poses to Americans, noting that 30 percent of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas, 3.7 million people live on land less than 3.3 feet above high tide, and up to 13 million could face displacement by 2100. It also documents the economic consequences, pointing out that coastal counties produce $10 trillion in goods and services annually and that increased sea levels contributed $8.1 billion in damage from Hurricane Sandy alone. While this is a non-binding resolution rather than legislation that creates programs or funding, it represents a formal Senate acknowledgment of the climate change threat to America's coasts.
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