To live in Charleston is to know what it means to be at the whim of Mother Earth. As a coastal city our livelihood is connected to the water, be it through fishing or tourism or trade. But as much as the water presents opportunity, it is also a very real threat to all of us here in the Charleston area. And our house meeting stories showed how serious the threat of sea-level rise and climate change are to our beloved Lowcountry. We heard stories of flooding during high tide or rainstorms. Stories of costly storm evacuations. Stories of ever-present mold in homes. Stories of astronomical utility bills. Stories of difficulty finding fresh and affordable food.
The good news is that there are solutions to these problems, and on October 25, 2021 CAJM voted to do what CAJM does best: research a solution and build enough people power to win that solution for our community! We have just begun our Research to Action Process and will work with our community to find the best solutions and partners to solve our issue.