Scientist Says People Can Either ‘defend’ or Retreat From Rising Seas

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Excerpts;

Hundreds of millions of people who are living in low-lying coastal areas around the globe have two options when it comes to protecting themselves from rising sea levels, says a British Columbia-based scientist.

While sea-level fluctuations are natural and have remained relatively constant during the past 5,000 years, the situation has begun to change over the last 200 years. During the last century, sea levels were rising by about two millimetres a year, but more recently they have increased to about three millimetres a year, he said…

Read Full Article, The Canadian Press

Coasts in peril plan ahead for rising seas, AFP
Scientists warn that by the end of this century, the sea level along North America’s west coast will rise by about a meter. But one coastal port in British Columbia has begun to plan for this grim future with the help of scientists who created computer images that show exactly what their town will look like when it is inundated with water.

Sea Level Rise and The World’s Beaches, By Orrin Pilkey
“For the sake of the beaches we can only hope that a real retreat policy will be instituted and as communities are abandoned, their buildings will be demolished and removed. Otherwise we can expect that within 40 to 60 years, the world’s beaches will begin to be lined with debris from abandoned and deteriorating buildings providing much hazardous material to pollute the oceans. If our beaches are to survive for our grandchildren’s enjoyment, the time has come to plan the big withdrawal.”

Sandbagged: The Undoing of a Quarter Century of North Carolina Coastal Conservation, By Gary Lazorick
“Men cannot build houses upon sand and expect to see them stand now anymore than they could in the olden times…”

A Retreat In The Face of Rising Seas, LA Times

The Trouble With Sea Walls

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