Can Science Save Coastal Development?
Despite the recent hurricanes, a rise in sea levels and the erosion of our nation’s shoreline, people are still rushing to build on the coast. Forty percent of new commercial development and 46 percent of new residential development has happened near the coast in recent years. This development brings muchneeded jobs to coastal economies, but experts warn it also brings new risks. Nonsustainable development can accelerate beach erosion, wetlands loss and water pollution. And the buildings themselves are threatened with eventual destruction by natural forces. A host of Nicholas School faculty members are playing key roles in documenting these threats and offering ways to avoid them. But will decisionmakers listen to the voice of science? Michael Orbach is professor of the practice of marine affairs and policy and director of the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, N.C. He has helped shape coastal and marine policy on all coasts of the United States, as well as in Mexico, Central America
