'Town in US could disappear due to climate change'

Jamestown, a historic town in Virginia, where first permanent European settled in what became the American colonies and the United States could disappear due to rising water levels, researchers have said.

Shenandoah and Chincoteague are two national parks in Virginia, which are also at risk because the land, along the state's coastlines, is naturally subsiding and the local rise of seas and tidal waters will be even greater than the global average.

"Unfortunately, Jamestown, Shenandoah and Chincoteague face greater threats than ever before as a result of climate change, and on a scale that will substantially undercut people's interest in visiting those historic and natural sites,"  said Theo Spencer, senior advocate, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council.

"By acting now to reduce the pollution that causes climate change, we will stimulate our economy and create millions of new jobs while continuing America's long-standing position of technological leadership," he added, noting that Jamestown "is where America's colonial history began."

A new report by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) identifies such possible outcomes as the flooding of "virtually all of Jamestown Island" and "'nothing less than a wholesale transformation'" of Chincoteague after sea-level rise of about three to four and a half feet by this century's end.

"The extent to which these special places could be harmed illustrates why human-caused climate disruption is considered the greatest threat ever to our national parks and wildlife refugees. These three special places deserve particular attention," said Stephen Saunders, president, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.

"They show how much Virginia is at stake, from its coasts to its mountains and from its natural and cultural resources to its economy, as people alter the climate," he added.

The report highlights the economic devastation and the loss in jobs that the local communities will suffer if these historic towns are wiped off the map.

The increasing temperatures will severely impact the tourism industry in the area, according to the scientists.

"With the region's largest temperature increase projected for the summer, intolerable heat may become a real problem (for would-be visitors) at Jamestown and perhaps Chincoteague," they said.

"Before Jamestown and much of Chincoteague may be inundated by higher water levels, key historical, archaeological, and natural resources could be destroyed or damaged by storm surges and erosion resulting from stronger hurricanes and coastal storms," the report said.