Preparing for the inevitable sea-level rise and fixing future problems will be both a local and global effort. First, the immediate concerns are for the people of Long Beach Island; the well-being of their homes and livelihood must be addressed. A combination of efforts must be undergone in order to assist the inhabitants of the island. Full cooperation from homeowners with the one goal of keeping the island alive is going to be necessary. The issues that must also be concentrated on are how the country and possibly the world are going to prevent future damage.
Allowing nature to run its course just is not an option. The recreational beaches would be the first areas affected by the erosion. Considering the economic downturn of the country already, taking away the beaches and tourist income that goes along with them would completely devastate this area of the country causing an even harsher recession. Not only would the beaches be affected, but wildlife would also be negatively impacted. The increase in rainfall, which causes an increase in the salinity in the water, would endanger aquatic life, which in turn will affect other wildlife and the food chain.
The government does need to work with the homeowners of beachfront property. Sand replenishment is a necessary course of action. Homeowner concerns with the government being able to create more public access to the beaches are serious ones. In order to have sand replenishment, all the homeowners must give consent. To make the process more attractive to homeowners, a formal contract between owners and government needs to be formulated. There does have to be some give and take from both ends. The government must agree to com ...