The theme of TEDxURI was ‘A View to the Future,’ and in this TEDx talk Professor Mendenhall considers the emerging legal and political challenges associated with global sea level rise. She describes how current international law assumes that coastlines are static, and explains why increasing coastal dynamism will unsettle claims over maritime territory and resources. This situation risks resource conflict, loss of statehood for island states, and unsustainable coastal responses. Prof. Mendenhall concludes by proposing a change to international law that can help solve these problems.