[Parker_Powell]

I think this is a great question and one that many people are asking. The answer is twofold: first, coastal real estate is not falling because the market for it is still strong. Second, even if sea levels rise, there will still be demand for coastal real estate because people are used to living on the coast and do not want to leave their homes.

When asked about why he was building his new house so close to the ocean, one developer said "I don't think about it." This attitude has been echoed by many other developers who believe that they are safe from rising sea levels because their properties are on higher ground than most others in their area.

In addition, many people simply do not believe that climate change will affect them or their home personally—even if they live near coastal areas or low-lying islands such as Puerto Rico or the Maldives. This is partly due to an unwillingness to accept what scientists say about climate change as accurate (which makes sense given how politicized the subject has become), but also because they do not want to face up to what could happen if sea levels continue rising over time.