(NewsNation) — New Orleans has reached a “point of no return” that will see the city engulfed by the ocean within decades, according to a new study that also recommends its residents to prepare for evacuation. “While climate mitigation should remain the first step to prevent the worst outcomes, coastal Louisiana has evidently already crossed the point of no return,” the authors wrote in the article published in the Nature Sustainability journal. Just as bleak, the study suggests efforts to adapt to rising sea levels could be a hindrance. “Migration research demonstrates that each decision to adapt in place rather than relocate creates additional barriers to future mobility — through increased financial investment in property improvements, deepened social networks and place attachment, and psychological commitment to community continuity,” the paper reads. As the climate continues to warm, scientists predict flooding will become more common around the world. That’s because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which results in storms dumping more precipitation that can have deadly outcomes. For every 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) the atmosphere warms, it holds approximately 7 percent more moisture.
According to NASA, the average global temperature has increased by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius (1.9 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880.
