Threat of more powerful coastal storms could curtail development

Led by Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project, researchers mapped the intensity of hazards posed to communities living along America’s coastlines from rising seas and ferocious storms now and in the decades to come.

The study reports that habitat loss would double the extent of coastline highly exposed to storms and sea-level rise. The traditional approach to protecting towns and cities has been to "harden" shorelines. Although engineered solutions are necessary and desirable in some contexts, they can be expensive to build and maintain. The preferred solution may be to protect wetlands and restrict coastal development.

(http://grist.org/news/heres-an-easy-way-to-protect-coastal-communities-from-rising-seas-and-storms/)