Climate change threatens 945 US toxic waste sites with flood and fire

Climate change threatens 945 US toxic waste sites with flood and fire

In the majority of cases—783 of the at-risk Superfund sites—sea level rise and flooding pose the biggest risks, according to the GAO, a nonpartisan branch of the federal government that audits agencies and federal spending. Historically, chemical plants and sites of heavy industry were often located near coasts and waterways, to take advantage of the ease of shipping products by water and proximity to water for cooling.