Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore

Elizabeth Rush documents the physical disappearance of American coastlines due to rising sea levels, focusing on the immediate ecological and social shifts occurring in tidal marshes and low-lying neighborhoods. She examines how saltwater intrusion creates ghost forests in mid-Atlantic wetlands and how residents in places like Staten Island and the Louisiana bayou face the choice of permanent retreat or managed retreat. The text details the specific mechanics of land loss, the migration of species inland, and the failure of existing infrastructure to withstand increased flooding and storm surges in vulnerable communities.

Environmental scientists and readers interested in climate adaptation find here a direct account of how displacement functions in the present day. The book serves those who want to understand the intersection of logistical policy failures and environmental reality. Readers walk away with a technical understanding of high-tide flooding and the socioeconomic factors that determine who can afford to move as the shoreline shifts. It provides a clear view of the logistical challenges involved in abandoning inhabited land and the biological signals of a changing maritime landscape.