Coasts & Climate

Sea level rise, flooding, ocean acidification, extreme heat, and stronger, more intense storms are irrevocably altering and eroding our shores. Coastal communities are confronting the chronic, often complex, challenges associated with the impacts of climate change, and working to identify the appropriate solutions and strategies to adapt to what geologists call “coastal squeeze.” Our beaches and coastal habitats are disappearing as sea levels rise and private development and coastal armoring block their natural migration inland. 

With more than 50% of beaches globally estimated at risk of being permanently lost due to sea level rise by 2100, urgent action is needed to protect the places we value most, as traditional coastal management strategies are failing to adequately address the new challenges our beaches face due to climate change.

Enter the Surfrider Foundation. 
Surfrider is combatting the impacts of climate change along our coasts and beaches head-on using a three-pronged approach:

1. Stewardship: Restoring hundreds of miles of U.S. coastline to bolster natural defenses against rising seas through our Climate Action Program.
2. Community: Facilitating community-led coastal planning to adapt to current and future projected changes to our coasts due to climate change.
3. Policy: Leading winning coastal protection advocacy campaigns to change laws and regulations to better protect our beaches at the local, state, and federal levels.