The statewide plan released this week to address flooding, drought and extreme weather amid a growing population, aging infrastructure and public health threats is just a first step, officials say.
Special Reports
State Now Has Plan For Climate Resilience
North Carolina’s environmental agency has released a collaborative plan nearly a year in the making to help guide policymakers in making vulnerable communities more resilient to climate change and coastal storms.
Folks Ready to Talk Change: NC Climatologist
State Climatologist Kathie Dello says that since taking the job in 2019 she has found residents of North Carolina are ready and willing to talk about climate change, and that the state can be a leader.
Resilience Bigger Part of Plan to Save NC 12
Maintaining the vulnerable sliver of Outer Banks highway known as N.C. 12 has long been a challenge, but state officials say they are now adopting a more resilient approach to infrastructure design.
Young Adults On Banks Have Ridden Storms
Young people on North Carolina’s Outer Banks who have grown up facing the challenges of climate change on an almost yearly basis say decision makers should take the problem more seriously.
Where Storms Are Lore, Folks See Change
In Down East Carteret County, where tales of hurricanes are woven through far-reaching family histories, residents say more recent storms are different and signs of a bigger change.
Signs Of Change Are Clear, If Language Is Not
Residents of coastal North Carolina acknowledge that changes attributed to climate change and sea level rise are happening, but there’s still a reluctance to use the terms.
NC’s Turning Point For Climate Science
Hurricane Florence in 2018 marked the beginning of a shift in attitudes toward climate science, researchers say, but whether increased acceptance leads to policy changes remains uncertain.
Students Share Experiences Of Florence
The following is a series of essays by students at Brunswick Early College High School in Bolivia on their personal experiences during Hurricane Florence in 2018 and their perceptions of climate change. This is part of a series for the Pulitzer Center’s nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative. For more information, go to pulitzercenter.org/connected-coastlines. A State… [Read More]
Stage Set For Battle Over Clean Water Rule
Some farmers call it an overreach, but water quality advocates say the Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule that the Trump administration seeks to repeal and replace is crucial for North Carolina’s wetlands and seafood industry.
US Clean Water Rule Repeal Set to Take Effect
Special Report: The repeal and replacement of the Obama-era Waters of the United States rule under the Clean Water Act will soon go into effect, putting North Carolina’s wetlands and fisheries in peril, but challenges are expected.
Coastal Research: Would You Swim Here?
Students with the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Field Site program spent last semester researching how contaminants get into Beaufort’s Town Creek and what happens next.
Coastal Research: One Town’s Septic Risks
UNC researchers recently presented findings from a study of how climate change and failing septic systems combine to affect Nags Head’s water quality and how the town is addressing problems.
Biologist: Seagrass A ‘Canary In Coal Mine’
Jud Kenworthy, a biologist and co-lead of a project to better understand the status of the submerged aquatic vegetation, says seagrasses can warn about the health of N.C.’s coastal ecology.
Submerged Vegetation Mirrors Coast’s Health
Researchers are working to map the extent and density of submerged aquatic vegetation along the N.C. coast, to assess its health, which is important far beyond the state’s estuaries.
Ports: Florida Biologist Had No Role in Study
Bald Head Island’s attorneys are questioning whether a Corps of Engineers biologist who pleaded guilty to lying about her part-time work for a consulting firm also worked on an N.C. ports study.
