In Salisbury, Massachusetts, an ambitious endeavour to safeguard oceanfront homes with a newly constructed dune has succumbed to the very force it was meant to shield against. Costing over $500,000, the dune—comprised of 15,000 tons of sand—stood as a bulwark against the relentless tides threatening the coastal town just 35 miles north of Boston. Yet, mere days after its completion in February, the dune was swept away, leaving the community to grapple with the temporary nature of their investment.
The homeowners, united under the Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change, faced the Atlantic’s wrath. Recent months brought a series of powerful storms intensified by rising sea levels and increasingly potent winds—a stark manifestation of the ongoing climate crisis. Despite the dune’s brief existence, the group maintains a resilient stance, expressing on social media that the dune served its purpose, albeit briefly, by absorbing the ocean’s assault that could have wrought even greater damage on their homes.
This episode stands as a testament to the challenges of coastal preservation in an era marked by environmental upheaval. Salisbury’s experience underscores the broader, global struggle of communities striving to adapt to a changing planet, where the rapid evolution of our climate is outpacing traditional methods of environmental defence. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
Picture Credit: Peter Pereira/AP