Supreme Court’s Limitation on Wetlands Protection Will Make Flooding Worse
Key takeaways
- The peer-reviewed study, conducted by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, was published June 1 in the journal Nature Water.
- The scientists used federal flood insurance claims data to calculate the dollar value of wetlands in reducing river flooding.
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June 2, 2026 Share This Article Republish Muddy flood waters of the Catawba River pour over the Oxford Dam, threatening a highway bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024, in Hickory, N.C. Credit: Steve Exum/Getty Images Related As Federal Wetlands’ Protections Falter, Washington State Scientists Turn to AI as a Conservation Tool Grasslands and Wetlands Are Being Gobbled Up By Agriculture, Mostly Livestock As Trump Rolls Back Protections For Wetlands, New Jersey Maintains a Higher Standard Share This Article Republish Most Popular EPA Rollbacks Could Raise AC, Refrigeration Costs Despite Promise of Lower Prices Scientists Outplant Experimental ‘Flonduran’ Corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park The Okefenokee’s Bid for International Recognition The destruction of wetlands in the United States has increased the amount of flood insurance claims by $10 billion over the past 40 years, a phenomenon expected to worsen in tandem with climate change, according to new research.
The peer-reviewed study, conducted by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, was published June 1 in the journal Nature Water.
The scientists used federal flood insurance claims data to calculate the dollar value of wetlands in reducing river flooding. They considered other factors as well, such as rainfall amounts and upstream changes in impervious surfaces, like parking lots and roofs.