Coastal Impacts of Climate Change: The Surfside Condominium Collapse and Future Risks
Liz Klebaner participated as a panelist during an Environmental Law Institute webinar, “Coastal Impacts of Climate Change: The Surfside Condominium Collapse and Future Risks,” on December 20, 2021. Liz and her fellow panelists discussed the collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium Complex in Surfside, FL and addressed questions that have arisen about climate change and how environmental impacts could cause structural damage to coastal buildings.
The panel elaborated on how geological formations, such as land sinking and rising sea levels, are a potential risk to other coastal buildings. They reviewed the requirements for building codes and inspections and debated whether or not they should be re-examined, despite structural integrity regulations not being know to prevent environmental hazards worsened by climate change.
Attendees discovered which important steps they could take to protect coastal residents and learned what legislators and local governments can do to take action in preventing another collapse.
