[Npoc-discuss] Internet Infrastructure and Sea Level Rise: Food/Question for Thought

[Sam Lanfranco]

NPOC colleagues,

I am raising this within the NPOC discussion group because I want to get 
a sense of whether this is an issue that should be somewhere on the 
ICANN agenda. At a minimum ICANN and its communities are constituent 
stakeholders in this issue.Most analysis sees serious problems within 15 
years.

Much of the Internet’s physical infrastructure is situated in locations 
close to coastal shorelines, connected to the half-million miles of 
undersea cables. New estimates of sea level rise driven by climate 
change have tripled earlier estimates of global vulnerability to 
sea-level rise and coastal flooding. 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12808-z 
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12808-z>

The impact of this on human habitation, and human migration, will be 
catastrophic. Estimates are that by mid-century up to 340 million people 
will live on land below projected annual flood levels. Current estimates 
put one billion people now occupying land less than 10 meters above 
current high tide lines, including 250 million living below 1 meter 
above current high tide lines. These populations will become a migration 
tsunami. But that is not the issue I want to raise here.

*The impact of sea level rise on the infrastructure of the Internet 
ecosystem will be equally catastrophic and is approaching fast.*Rather 
than belaboring the point that some action is necessary here, I will 
just share a short bibliography on the subject. *Do we need a discussion?*

Sam Lanfranco*
*

The Internet May Be Underwater in 15 Years: 
_https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/07/news-internet-underwater-sea-level-rise/___

Buried Internet infrastructure at risk as sea levels rise: 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180716141627.htm 
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180716141627.htm>

Rising Seas Could Cause Problems for Internet Infrastructure 
https://biodiversityfunders.org/rising-seas-could-cause-problems-for-internet-infrastructure/ 
<https://biodiversityfunders.org/rising-seas-could-cause-problems-for-internet-infrastructure/>

Sea Level Rise to Jeopardize U.S. Internet Infrastructure In 15 Years 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2018/08/11/sea-level-rise-to-jeopardise-u-s-internet-infrastructure-in-15-years-study-says/#1fdac65a7cb0 
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2018/08/11/sea-level-rise-to-jeopardise-u-s-internet-infrastructure-in-15-years-study-says/%231fdac65a7cb0>

Internet infrastructure will be inundated as sea levels rise: 
_https://www.networkworld.com/article/3290250/internet-infrastructure-will-be-inundated-as-sea-levels-rise-says-report.html
_

Key Internet Connections and Locations are at Risk from Rising Seas: 
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/key-internet-connections-and-locations-are-at-risk-from-rising-seas 
<https://www.americanscientist.org/article/key-internet-connections-and-locations-are-at-risk-from-rising-seas>

The internet is at risk from rising sea levels | World Economic Forum: 
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/rising-sea-levels-are-coming-for-the-internet 
<https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/rising-sea-levels-are-coming-for-the-internet>

Rising sea levels are going to mess with the internet, sooner than you 
think: https://www.popsci.com/sea-level-rise-internet-infrastructure/ 
<https://www.popsci.com/sea-level-rise-internet-infrastructure/>

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