From the tropics to the poles, half the world’s population lives on coasts where the impacts of climate change are most intense. Storms are more frequent and severe. Sea-level rise causes prolonged, catastrophic flooding. Melting permafrost causes houses to collapse and roads to slump. National security infrastructure is threatened—and human lives, economies, and livelihoods hang in the balance. ERI focuses on interactions between people, infrastructure, and the changing environment—and on understanding natural processes, risks, and social equity issues. Our teams are working to restore ecosystems, understand and design resilient coasts, and inform policy and decision-making. We partner with rural and urban communities that face increasing risks from climate change to create a more resilient and sustainable future.
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Latest News
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Seagrass Restoration Renews Fish and Biodiversity at Astonishing Rates
Amid fish declines worldwide, in part due to habitat loss, UVA researchers are tracking the continued success of undersea meadow restoration efforts.
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With UVA Discovery, We May Be One Good Solution Closer to Solving Climate Change
Seagrass researchers assemble a rig to extract sediment cores. The sampling project, just off the Eastern Shore on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Delmarva Peninsula, began in the summer...
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Future-Proofing the World’s Coral Reefs
Environmental scientist and EI affiliate Matthew Reidenbach is pursuing promising new ways to restore dying coral reefs and to make them more resilient to a variety of threats.
Latest Projects
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Bay Migrations Project: Cultural Artifacts of Risk Mitigation
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