Beaches under threat

THE traditional seaside holiday - with sandcastles on wide open beaches - could disappear within 100 years if the effects of climate change go unchecked, scientists are warning.

Sand dunes and coastal marshes could also vanish as greenhouse gases, mostly from transport and industry, continue to overheat the atmosphere. The threat will be debated by international experts at a conference in London next week.

Climate change is already affecting the environment, robbing beaches of sand and eroding the extensive natural coastal marshes in the estuaries. But if nothing is done beaches will be starved of sand, says Stephan Worrall of the Living with the Sea Project, which calls for the restoration of the natural dynamics of the coast, enabling natural defence solutions to rising sea levels. This would result in a loss not only of holiday beaches, but also areas that provide food and shelter for a huge variety of wildlife.

Mr Worrall said: "Two things are certain, we have to protect our natural coastal assets if we want to safeguard our man-made assets, and we have to work with the sea rather than trying to fight nature's unstoppable response to global sea level rise.

"Going with the natural flow, using nature's own defences to soak up wave and storm energy is more effective and cheaper than concrete and steel. However, to enable these natural processes to occur, we may need to give more breathing room to the natural features in those areas facing coastal squeeze."

Brian Empson, flood defence policy manager at Britain's Environment Agency added: "As a society we need to shift our thinking from defending against flooding to managing flood risk. While we continue to focus our resources on minimising risks to life, property and the environment, solutions will increasingly exploit the benefits of natural flooding for biodiversity."