New Fracking Frontier Scares Residents

Due to a rapid increase in demand, sand used in hydraulic fracturing, has become a valuable commodity, and sand mines are opening in the US at a rapid rate.

History Has Lessons for Post-Sandy America, by John R. Gillis

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Americans are finally beginning to ask themselves whether or not it might be advisable to build up to the edge of the sea. It is dawning on us that we are dealing with a human-made rather than natural disaster…

The Human Shore: Seacoasts In History

In his new book, The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History published by University of Chicago Press, November 2012, historian John R. Gillis explores the deep history of seacoasts, the original home of humankind.

Jersey Shore Development Failures Exposed By Hurricane Sandy

Many experts say Sandy presents an opportunity to rethink New Jersey’s future development patterns. Some argue that the most sensible approach would be to pull back from vulnerable coastlines and relinquish some real estate to nature. But already the pressures are building, from homeowners, and from municipalities hungry for property tax revenues, to put everything back the way it was…