(NEW YORK) — Sea level rise caused by climate change could cause thousands of toxic sites in the U.S. to flood in the coming decades, according to new research.

Under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, more than 5,500 hazardous sites across the U.S. will be at risk of a 1-in-100-year flood by the year 2100, according to a paper published Thursday in Nature. These sites include facilities that handle sewage, toxic waste, oil and gas and other industrial pollutants as well as formerly used defense sites, according to a paper published Thursday in Nature.

Of the the at-risk sites, at least 3,800 locations are projected to flood by 2050, the study found.

Many of the U.S. coastlines are heavily industrialized for a variety of reasons, including access to raw materials and proximity to

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