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Massachusetts town grapples with sea rise after sand barrier fails (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 7 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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A $500,000 sand dune collapsed in days after being erected, and residents are looking for help to protect their homes

On the border with New Hampshire and Massachusetts – about 35 miles north of Boston – is Salisbury, a coastal town and popular summer destination for tourists. But for those who live in the town year round, especially those who live on the coastline, life’s not a beach.

Last month, after a series of storms battered the area, local citizens came together to take the necessary steps to protect their homes. Volunteer organization Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change raised more than $500,000 to erect a 15,000-ton sand dune – a formidable barrier that would hopefully protect at least 15 beach houses from destruction.

Or so they thought. The sand dune was completed after one month in early March, but just three days later, the dune – and nearly half a million dollars – was wiped away.

The tragic incident made the project a laughingstock to some and angered others.

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[-] malloc@lemmy.world 47 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

The effects of sea level rise from climate change have reached American coasts. Yet we continue to do almost nothing.

  • continued reliance on fossil fuels. As of 2021, reliance on oil, coal, and natural gas at 60% worldwide [2]
  • no desire to implement a diverse range of transportation options (ie, enhanced public transportation). Yet continued desire to widen highway infrastructure
  • no desire to rebuild cities to be more efficient and reduce dependency on car centric transportation (no, EVs will not automagically solve the problems with car centric transportation)
  • no desire to change lifestyle. The amount of meat this country consumes is fucking insane. GHGs from meat production alone account for a third of GHGs [1]
  • the suburban experiment in America and the “American Dream” is a complete failure. We need to stop ripping up diverse ecosystems that help shield or mitigate effects from Mother Nature and replacing them with monoculture suburbs and highways. Case and point: Houston, TX in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00225-9

[2] https://www.iea.org/reports/key-world-energy-statistics-2021/final-consumption

[-] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 31 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Not to negate your point, but Cape Cod beaches are a stupid place to build even without those problems. The Cape is a big pile of sand, constantly being eroded and reshaped by storms. The people who built those houses right up against the beach should have known better.

Edit: I was reading too fast and got the location mixed up. Though the problem is the same.

[-] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 18 points 7 months ago

Cape cod is south of Boston, this is north.

this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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