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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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NEWS: US Construction workers among least likely to seek vaccine

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According to data research firm Morning Consult 's report on willingness to take the Covid - 19 vaccines the Construction industry is fourth from the bottom in industry rankings, ahead of just retail, transportation and food and beverage



Data research firm Morning Consult surveyed 16,970 employed adults between October and January, and concluded that essential, frontline workers who can’t work from home and therefore are at higher risk of exposure, were also among those who have the highest degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Last year, after the first successful vaccine trials were announced, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which oversees employee rights in the workplace, ruled that employers could require workers to get the vaccine, with certain exceptions. A week prior to that ruling, construction lawyers during a webinar hosted by the Associated General Contractors of America also said contractors could require workers to get shots.

But in anticipation of pushback from construction employees at that time, they also recommended that contractors strongly encourage workers to get inoculated, rather than adopting a mandatory approach.

“Come up with a policy that says we expect all of our employees to take the vaccine,” said attorney D. Albert Brannen, a partner at Atlanta-based Fisher Phillips.

In Morning Consult's analysis, it also referred to a California academic study that found construction workers had higher rates of excess mortality during the pandemic. According to the study, risk ratios comparing pandemic and pre-pandemic mortality rates were highest for cooks, packaging and filling machine operators, agricultural workers, bakers and construction laborers.

Also read: What can the construction industry do to protect the health and safety of its workers?

But occupation wasn’t the only predictor of lower vaccine acceptance, according to Morning Consult’s report. The firm found lower willingness rates among women, those without a college education and people living in rural areas. Black and Hispanic adults, who have accounted for higher per capita deaths during the pandemic due to COVID-19, were also less likely to say they’d get vaccinated.

Health agencies and employers will have their work to combat vaccine hesitancy cut out for them as the shots become more widely available, the report concluded.


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