U.S. Plans for Sea Level Rise

Government buildings and federal highways planned in the future will be constructed safe distances away from flood areas that are expected to worsen due to climate change, the White House announced on Friday.

More than $1 trillion of property and structures are at risk of inundation from sea level rise of two feet above current sea level, the White House said in a statement, and that level could be reached as early as 2050.

The new policy will require federal agencies to consider whether future floods could engulf infrastructure and imagine how high above sea level they should build, according to a statement outlining the policy.

"By requiring that federally funded buildings, roads and other infrastructure are constructed to better withstand the impacts of flooding, the President's action will ... help ensure Federal projects last as long as intended," the statement says.

The policy outlined on Friday is open to public comment and agencies would have wide latitude in determining how high is high enough to avoid flood damage.

Agencies may build two feet above the forecast flood level of a 100-year event, to the limit of a 500-year event or simply use "data and methods informed by best-available, actionable climate science."