Coastal homes could see flood insurance premium going up again, and that’s only the beginning

FEMA is looking into switching to risk-based pricing in 2020, which would end the subsidies most coastal communities enjoy on their flood insurance premiums and show the true dollar cost of living in areas repeatedly pounded by hurricanes and drenched with floods.
See wave of garbage off the Dominican Republic

A video taken by “Parley for the Oceans” on July 14 shows a “dense garbage carpet” covering the water in Santo Domingo.
Global Study of World’s Beaches Shows Threat to Protected Areas

A first-of-its-kind survey of the world’s sandy shorelines with satellite data found that they have increased slightly on a global scale over the past three decades but decreased in protected marine areas, where many beaches are eroding.
Starbucks is banning straws – but is it really a big win for the environment?

The coffee giant has announced that it is phasing out straws. But are the new lids it’s introducing actually any better?
Dead or alive? 3 ways to spot the difference between a live sand dollar and souvenir

Have you ever scoured the beach hunting for that perfect sand dollar to take home as a souvenir? Or perhaps plucked one of them out of the water? It could’ve been alive.
Evaluating the Impact of Beach Nourishment on Surfing: Surf City, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, U.S.A.

In this study, the effect of the construction of a conventional beach nourishment project in Surf City, New Jersey, on the quality of the local surf break is examined in detail.
Blue Economy Movement Gains Traction in Africa

Ahead of the upcoming Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, that will be co-host by Kenya and Canada this November, economic experts are optimistic that the Blue Economy movement – which is about sustainable exploitation of oceans, seas, rivers and lakes – is gaining traction.
Deep-diving scientists say shallow reefs can’t rely on twilight zone systems for recovery

A team of highly trained scientific divers explored Pacific and western Atlantic reefs to test a widely held hypothesis that climate-stressed life from shallow reefs can take refuge at mesophotic depths.The results are clear: deep and shallow reefs are different systems with their own species, and deep reefs are just as threatened by climate impacts, storms, and pollution.
Why This U.S. Climate Scientist Is Leaving Trump’s America for France

With the Trump administration spurning efforts to combat global warming, the French government has invited U.S. scientists to bring their climate research to France.