California is losing the fight against sea-level rise. Is it time to regroup?

Published October 3, 2023 at 8:40 AM EDT

In an aerial view, the Pacific Ocean and coastline are seen on April 19, 2022 in Ventura, California. Sea levels along coastlines in the U.S. will rise up to one foot by the year 2050, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The two main causes for sea level rise are ocean water expansion as it warms and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Earth Day is April 22. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

What is California without its golden shore? Rising seas are eroding California’s 1,000 miles of coastline, from sandy surf spots in Southern California to tidal marshes and rugged cliffs topped by Redwoods further north. In addition to all that priceless natural wonder, the livelihoods of tens of millions of people also depend on how California copes with climate change — specifically, sea-level rise.

Rosanna Xia thinks about this a lot as an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and she’s out with a new book called “California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline,” which she discusses with Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes.

‘California Against the Sea’ excerpt

By Rosanna Xia

Adapted with permission of the publisher from the book “California Against the Sea,” written by Rosanna Xia and published by Heyday.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.