David Boraks

Featuring reporting from veteran climate and environment reporter David Boraks, "Rising Waters" looks at a range of issues, from coastal properties falling into the ocean, to the rising cost of stabilizing North Carolina beaches, to the increasing frequency of high-tide flooding.

Over the last week, WHQR aired and published our three-part series, Rising Waters — which looked at several different ways climate change is impacting the Carolina Coast and the Cape Fear region. WHQR’s Ben Schachtman spoke with veteran climate reporter David Boraks about his reporting for this series.

In a report released this week, a state and federal task force studying the problem of houses falling into the ocean suggests creating a new state-funded program and finding new funding sources to address properties at risk before they collapse.

Flooding during and after big storms is always a problem in North Carolina's coastal areas. But it's also a growing headache on clear days when high tides creep up over waterfronts, flow in through storm drains and flood streets. Experts say high-tide flooding worsens with climate change and sea-level rise, causing more frequent flooding in coastal communities. Climate reporter David Boraks has more in the final installment of WHQR's series "Rising Waters."

Beachgoers along the coast of the Carolinas are enjoying more sand with their surf this summer. Multi-million-dollar rebuilding projects the past couple of winters pumped sand from offshore to restore beaches ravaged by storms, erosion, and higher sea levels. The practice is getting more frequent and expensive, and some experts wonder how long we can sustain it. This is part II of WHQR's "Rising Waters" series.

Over the past couple of decades, many North Carolina beachfront houses have been lost to the Atlantic Ocean. As climate change brings rising sea levels, the search for solutions becomes more pressing. As part of our "Rising Waters," WHQR's David Boraks has this report.

At UN climate talks, the global community is looking at tripling the amount of renewables coming online. In the U.S., that's meant a push into offshore wind — but it's been met with fits and starts.

The U.S. wants to mine more domestic lithium for electric vehicle batteries. It would require demolishing houses, digging up farms and disrupting streams. Some residents worry about the impact.

The U.S. wants to mine lithium for electric vehicle batteries to meet climate change goals. But residents near a proposed open-pit mine object.

Transportation has overtaken electricity generation as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in North Carolina. That's according to an updated greenhouse gas inventory published this week by state environmental regulators.