What comes first?  A beach nourished with sand or real estate development?  Sometimes it is hard to tell.  What isn't difficult to realize is that all of this development is at risk. 
For the rest of the blog post People are building ever-bigger homes on vulnerable beaches by Sarah DeWeerdt | Jan 10, 2017 click here.  DeWeerdt's piece is based on Armstrong SB et al. “Indications of a positive feedback between coastal development and beach nourishment.” Earth’s Future. 2016.  ​

"​Natural systems can provide basic services like water storage, storm buffering, or water filtration to communities, businesses, and residences. The benefits are not hypothetical."

Check out this blog which covers the kind of work SAGE is promoting.

Nature’s solutions for infrastructure problems  By Lynn Scarlett - 11/08/16 03:00 PM EST
​

An iceberg, possibly one of the largest ever recorded, is ready to break away from Antarctica, scientists say. Researchers say this break will leave the whole shelf vulnerable to future break-up.  "As it floats on the sea, the resulting iceberg from the shelf will not raise sea levels. But if the shelf breaks up even more, it could result in glaciers that flow off the land behind it to speed up their passage towards the ocean. This non-floating ice would have an impact on sea levels. "  - McGrath, BBC

For the entire BBC Science and the Environemnt article click here.