Sand bags and beach erosion at Isle of Palms, Charleston County, South Carolina. Photo source: ©© Kevin Oliver
Excerpts;
Following years of debate, South Carolina took steps Wednesday to stop developers from building high-rise hotels, condominium buildings and other major projects close to the ocean after taxpayers spend money to renourish public beaches.
The S.C. House passed a bill that will close a loophole in state law that has allowed new construction closer to the ocean when renourishment projects temporarily widen the seashore.
While the legislation gives a short-term reprieve to developers at Kiawah Island and other places, the lower chamber’s action is considered a significant, long-term step to prevent construction farther out on the beach at a time of rising sea levels…
Read Full Article, The State (06-01-2016)
Access eroding to embattled Kiawah spit, study says, Post and Courier (05-31-2016)
Protect S.C. coast: No retreat from ‘line in the sand’; The Post and Courier (02-02-2016)
Seaward of Common Sense? SC Needs to Put an End to Building on the Beach; By Robert Young, PhD; The State (02-12-2015)
South Carolina’s beautiful beaches are a vital component of this state’s economy. Managing them wisely is critical to the health of the economy and to ensuring that state and local tax dollars are not wasted on futile efforts to protect homes needlessly placed in areas of obvious high hazard…
Developers don’t get it: climate change means we need to retreat from the coast, Guardian UK (15-03-2016)
It is preposterous to build in areas that are bound to flood. So why are real estate companies still doing it?..
Miami Beach Sees Rising Seas as No Threat to Real Estate Boom, For Now; Phys.Org (04-22-2015)
Californians Fight Over Whether Coast Should Be Rugged or Refined, The New York Times (02-09-2016)
Reuters’ Water’s Edge Report Part I & Part II (09-19-2014)
Despite laws intended to curb development where rising seas pose the greatest threat, Reuters finds that government is happy to help the nation indulge in its passion for beachfront living…
“The Beaches Are Moving,” A Video featuring Orrin Pilkey, PhD
World famous coastal geologist Orrin H. Pilkey takes us to the beach and explains why erosion has become a problem…
We Need to Retreat From the Beach, An Op Ed by Orrin H. Pilkey
