A tree fell on my house.
It happened during the last heavy winds that Cambridge experienced, a couple of weeks ago. In the middle of the night, one of the big trees in my backyard toppled and collided with the corner of the house, doing some damage and terrifying my little Yorkie, Marlowe.
After the unexpected incident, one of my first thoughts was “Thanks, climate change.” Now, you can argue with me all you want. Last year, at a Cambridge Association of Neighborhoods meeting, while Larry White was talking about the Cambridge Shoreline Resiliency Project, a man spoke up and said, “I’m not hearing any ‘ifs’.” Well, there are no “ifs” about it, mister. The change is real, and it’s here.
Cambridge is one of the more climate-vulnerable communities in the whole country. The danger is gradual and uneven, but it’s also already happening, rather than being a sudden catastrophe that will hit us while we’re not looking.
Our city sits in Dorchester County on the Chesapeake Bay, a perfect storm location for climate risk because of low elevation, sinking land, rising oceans, and extensive marshes and waterways that let water move easily inland. Since 1960, sea level near Dorchester has risen about 0.6 feet, and parts of the county are turning into open water over time. Marshes are drowning faster than they can rebuild, forests are becoming full of dead trees thanks to saltwater intrusion, and wildlife habitats are shifting inland.
The parts of Dorchester most at risk are the low-lying areas south and west of Cambridge and the communities near places like Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. But our county isn’t just at risk; it’s actively changing shape because it already has one of the highest rates of land loss in the U.S.
In fact, scientists describe Dorchester as one of Maryland’s most threatened areas and even ground-zero for sea-level rise impacts on the Eastern Shore. What happens here will likely influence policy elsewhere and serve as a model—or warning—for other coastal regions.
So, what does this mean for Cambridge? The biggest issue is chronic flooding: high tides and storms pushing water farther inland than before and flooding becoming more frequent. Storm surge will get worse, with hurricanes and nor’easters riding on higher baseline water. There will be land loss and erosion as wetlands and shorelines gradually disappear. And infrastructure will be impacted: roads, septic systems, and utilities in low areas will be compromised, and some places may become periodically inaccessible before they’re actually underwater.
While the city is not going to suddenly vanish, there will be more frequent street flooding in waterfront areas and gradual retreat in the lowest areas. Certain neighborhoods will become less desirable, and insurance costs will rise. Also, though the flooding may not always leave deep water behind, homeowners along the Choptank River need to keep something else in mind: frequency. If there is flooding every high tide, an area can become essentially unlivable.
But there is time for all of us to make smart decisions, because we can still do a lot to mitigate climate change.
Besides voting for people on the state and federal levels who will make policy changes a priority, local government can contribute, too, with living shorelines, wetland restoration, building and infrastructure elevation, and smarter zoning.
Then there are the community members, who can make a number of choices that will help. We can drive less or even switch to an EV, upgrade our home energy efficiency, reduce food waste, eat less beef and more plant-based, choose renewable electricity, and (of course) recycle.
It’s not too late to save our environment, but it is time-sensitive. Every bit of warming we avoid means less flooding and less damage. While some impacts (like rising seas in Cambridge) are already locked in, the difference between “bad” and “seriously bad” is still within human control. The outcome now depends on how fast we act.
So, act fast. Please. I still have several big trees in my backyard.
