California Against the Sea
Rosanna Xia Unveils California's Struggle with the Vanishing Coastline
What comes to mind when you think about the California coat? The dramatic cliffs and the dense forests? The panoramic ocean views and the charming coastal cities? The iconic, sandy beaches with their luxurious beachfront houses and beautiful ocean views? California coast is all of these things and many more. One thing is certain: after reading this book, your perspective on the California coast will be forever changed.
California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline goes beyond discussing sea-level rise and how to address it. This book is also about individuals and the diverse communities that inhabit the California coast, each contributing to the region's dynamic culture and diversity. Rosanna Xia, an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times, applies her expertise and journalistic insight to address the profound threat that sea-level rise poses to these communities. Her approach is multifaceted, blending rigorous reporting with historical insights and personal narratives, enabling readers to understand both the scientific realities of climate change and the human stories behind coastal communities' efforts to adapt.
The book meticulously details the dire consequences of climate change along California's 1,200-mile coastline. Human activities have significantly altered the California coast's ecological systems. Cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego have expanded dramatically, destroying natural habitats such as wetlands, dunes, and coastal forests. Urban development has replaced these ecosystems with buildings, roads, and other infrastructure.
Rising sea levels are driven by a combination of thermal expansion of seawater as it warms, the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps, and regional factors like land use changes. In an effort to protect coastal properties and infrastructure, residents and authorities have built sea walls, jetties, and other coastal defences along the California shoreline. These structures, however, pose significant environmental and social challenges. They can cause scouring at their bases, leading to increased erosion in adjacent areas. They disrupt habitats for birds and marine mammals and alter marine ecosystems by changing wave patterns, sediment transport, and water quality. They also limit public access to beaches and coastal areas, affecting recreation and local economies dependent on tourism.
Xia examines various communities, from the affluent neighborhoods of Pacifica and Laguna Beach to the working-class areas of Marin City and Deep East Oakland. In the chapter “Overlooked and Forgotten,” she addresses the neglect of poorer regions, arguing that the lack of data does not equate to the absence of problems. For example, in Marin City, a predominantly Black community, rising groundwater levels expose toxic residues from past industrial activities, exacerbating public health issues and highlighting environmental injustices. Groundwater is unconfined water that gathers in the pore spaces of soil very close to the surface.
Rising groundwater levels are becoming a significant concern in many cities and communities worldwide. This is water that runs on streets and soaks into the ground when it rains. When the sea moves inland, this shallow layer of freshwater tends to float on top of the denser saltwater and get pushed upwards as sea levels rise. Many cities and communities will be hit by rising groundwater long before any waves crash into shore.
Xia also discusses the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples, whose lands were stolen during European colonization. California was home to numerous Indigenous tribes, including the Chumash, Miwok, Ohlone, and many others. These tribes had their own systems of governance, culture, and environmental stewardship. Their coastal stewardship included sustainable harvesting of marine resources, protection of habitats, and conservation of biodiversity. Their displacement disrupted their sustainable coastal management practices, which had preserved ecological balance for generations. Right on point, Xia advocates for policy changes that acknowledge Indigenous land rights and management practices. She urges a rethinking of coastal resilience strategies, emphasizing that Indigenous knowledge should play a central role in developing sustainable solutions to combat rising sea levels. She brings a depth of environmental justice perspective that is exceptionally uncommon.
Despite the bleak realities, Xia maintains a sense of optimism throughout the book. She highlights the alternative approaches to coastal management and the efforts of conservationists, who are actively working to protect the coastline. She also looks at the political and social dimensions of coastal management. The concept of "managed retreat"—relocating communities away from vulnerable coastal areas—is presented as a controversial but necessary strategy to reduce future risks.
Although this book is focused on California, its insights and lessons apply to coastal regions worldwide. Many places are encountering similar challenges of coastal erosion and rising sea levels, such as Miami and New Orleans in the United States, Venice in Italy, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. Just last week there's an article about similar issues in Scotland. U.K. Montrose Beach in northeast Scotland is eroding rapidly, losing up to 7 meters annually due to climate change. All these regions have implemented various adaptive and mitigative strategies to safeguard vulnerable areas. However, it is only through reevaluating our relation with the ocean, that we can develop viable solutions that can help mitigate the effects of rising sea levels. We need to stop viewing the sea as an adversary and instead strive to work in harmony with natural processes. Cutting drastically greenhouse gas emissions could also help.
