As sea levels rise and weather patterns change, coastal communities are increasingly at risk from flooding, storm damage, and erosion.
In the past, coastal communities were able to rely on natural barriers like sand dunes and coral reefs to protect them from the more extreme weather.

Unfortunately, these barriers are now being eroded away by rising sea levels and more powerful storms. As a result, communities are being forced to spend more money on things like flood defenses and beach replenishment.

The changes to the local climate are also affecting the way people live and work in coastal communities.

For example, fishermen are finding it harder to predict when and where they will be able to find fish, as the fish migrate to different areas in response to changes in water temperature. This is not only affecting their livelihoods, but also the food security of the communities they live in.

There is also the increasing risk of living by the coast.

As sea levels continue to rise, many communities will eventually be forced to abandon their homes and move to higher ground.

We can see this coastal erosion happening right at our beaches. If you go to Fort Fisher, you can see the deterioration at the shoreline of the seawall. If you look right next to it, you see the waves crashing right on the sandbags under the apartments.

The effects of climate change are not easily mitigated. It is important that we understand what increased erosion and flooding means for these coastal communities, and how we can help protect them.