Land Reclamation at Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Port of Rotterdam is already Europe’s biggest port, but the Maasvlakte 2 Land Reclamation Project will triple its container capacity in one bold stroke. Stretching 3 miles beyond the former coastline, Maasvlakte 2 will be as large as Midtown and Downtown Manhattan combined.
If an island state vanishes, is it still a nation?
No country has ever physically disappeared, and it’s a real void in the law. The Marshallese government faced with set of issues unique in the history of the system of nation-states associated with sea level rise impacts that are not adequately addressed in the international legal framework, seeks advice from the Center for Climate Change Law at New York’s Columbia University. Legal scholars worldwide have been asked to assemble at Columbia, next May to begin to piece together answers.
National monument status urged for Arctic refuge
The US President is being urged to bestow national monument status on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for its 50th anniversary in what supporters say would finally put the refuge’s coastal plain beyond the reach of oil companies. National monument status could put an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil beyond the grasp of oil companies forever.
55 Percent of Venice Under Acqua Alta, Italy
Three main factors have worsened the high water in Venice, experts say; the rising floor of the lagoon caused by incoming silt, the subsidence of the city by the extraction of methane gas in the sea off Venice, and the worldwide increase in sea levels caused by global warming.
Desalination Projects: Option or Distraction for a Thirsty World?
As populations increase in coastal areas, the demand for desalination most likely will grow as needs for improved clean water supplies grow, and people see all that water nearby as a solution to freshwater scarcity. Yet the process of removing salt from sea water to overcome a worldwide shortage of drinking water could end up worsening the crisis, environmental groups warn.
Cancun’s Beaches: Vanishing Sand and Wasted Money
In a major restoration project last year, millions of cubic yards (meters) of sand were dredged from the sandy bottom of the Caribbean and pumped ashore in Cancun. The project created a seven-mile stretch of beach some 40 to 70 yards (meters) wide, at a cost of about $70 million. It is already washing away.
Sand Mafia Fill 600 Trucks a Day, Thane District India
The district administration does not have manpower to control highways and look out for the sand mafia.
Many Coastal Wetlands Likely to Disappear this Century
Many coastal wetlands worldwide, including several on the U.S. Atlantic coast, may be more sensitive than previously thought to sea-level rise projections for the 21st century.
Four-Mile Beach, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada; By William J. Neal
Thinking of beaches may not bring to mind Eastern Canada, particularly Nova Scotia’s rugged Cape Breton Island, but this beautiful coast has several pocket and bay-mouth bar beaches.