Imagining Adaptation to Sea Level Rise in California with Rosanna Xia

In the last few decades California has been preoccupied with preparing for immediate disasters such as extended drought, wildfire, and earthquakes, thinking relatively little about the slow-moving threat upon its shores. Lulled by a century of no more than nine inches of sea level rise, California’s coastal communities now seem to be caught unprepared for the adaptations required by the three and a half feet of inundation projected over the next 26 years.

In her new book “California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline,” Rosanna Xia explores California’s complex and hubristic relationship with its coast. From the Gold Rush to the passage of The California Coastal Act, to today and beyond, Xia examines the ways in which the state will have to adapt physically, culturally, and psychologically to a shrinking coastline fueled by climate change.

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter and Xia discuss her writing in the context of this month’s extreme conditions coastal conditions and explore roles as both a traditional beat reporter and an author writing with a larger narrative purpose and style in this latest project.