Jakarta, Indonesia experienced tidal flooding in January. Many parts of Southeast Asia have higher sea levels than previously thought, according to a new study. | Claudio Pramana/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Humans are a coastal species. More than one in ten people in the world live within three miles of the shore, and about 40 percent of us live within an hour’s drive of the ocean. These shoreline regions generate a massive force in the global economy — in the US alone, coastal counties account for one-third of GDP.

But the same oceans that draw so many people near them pose a threat when the water rises and pours inland during tidal floods or storm surges. Water is often the deadliest, most destructive, and costliest element of many natural disasters. And with coastal populations growing, the economic toll of disasters in coastal areas is increasing, especially as sea levels rise due to climate change.…