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The Last Beach
The Last Beach is an urgent call to save the world's beaches while there is still time. The geologists Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper sound the alarm in this frank assessment of our current relationship with beaches and their grim future if we do not change the way we understand and treat our irreplaceable shores. Combining case studies and anecdotes from around the world, they argue that many of the world's developed beaches, including some in Florida and in Spain, are virtually doomed and that we must act immediately to save imperiled beaches.
After explaining beaches as dynamic ecosystems, Pilkey and Cooper assess the harm done by dense oceanfront development accompanied by the construction of massive seawalls to protect new buildings from a shoreline that encroaches as sea levels rise. They discuss the toll taken by sand mining, trash that washes up on beaches, and pollution, which has contaminated not only the water but also, surprisingly, the sand. Acknowledging the challenge of reconciling our actions with our love of beaches, the geologists offer suggestions for reversing course, insisting that given the space, beaches can take care of themselves and provide us with multiple benefits.
After explaining beaches as dynamic ecosystems, Pilkey and Cooper assess the harm done by dense oceanfront development accompanied by the construction of massive seawalls to protect new buildings from a shoreline that encroaches as sea levels rise. They discuss the toll taken by sand mining, trash that washes up on beaches, and pollution, which has contaminated not only the water but also, surprisingly, the sand. Acknowledging the challenge of reconciling our actions with our love of beaches, the geologists offer suggestions for reversing course, insisting that given the space, beaches can take care of themselves and provide us with multiple benefits.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2014
5 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
Orrin H. Pilkey
37 books20 followersOrrin Hendren Pilkey Jr. was an American marine geologist who was Professor Emeritus of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, at Duke University, and founder and director emeritus of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) based at Western Carolina University.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2014
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The Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey provides engrossing insight into the fate of the worlds beaches. I enjoy the beach as much as the next person, preferring preserved and "natural" beaches; what I never realized was just how much of a negative impact humans are having on the natural beaches of the world.
This book focuses on beaches across the world, from developed nations to developing nations to untouched islands, and discusses the impacts humans are having on the beaches from erosion causing seawalls to pollution and beyond. This book really provides a comprehensive look into everything that harms beaches before discussing what we can do to preserve/revert beaches to their natural state.
The writing in this book is very easy to read. The author writes in a manner that, while scientific, is still extremely clear and easy to read. Each term that the reader might not know about is defined within the text, in a manner that doesn't interrupt the flow of the writing. The overall flow of the writing is smooth and each chapter or section transitions fluidly to the next.
I am really glad that I read this book. I felt that I learned a lot about the world's beaches and what we need to do to protect them in their natural state. I hadn't realized the extent that the world's beaches were harmed by human actions and this book will definitely make me think further the next time I set foot on a beach. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the environment or who spends a lot of time at the beach; this is definitely a book that will make you think.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
The Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey provides engrossing insight into the fate of the worlds beaches. I enjoy the beach as much as the next person, preferring preserved and "natural" beaches; what I never realized was just how much of a negative impact humans are having on the natural beaches of the world.
This book focuses on beaches across the world, from developed nations to developing nations to untouched islands, and discusses the impacts humans are having on the beaches from erosion causing seawalls to pollution and beyond. This book really provides a comprehensive look into everything that harms beaches before discussing what we can do to preserve/revert beaches to their natural state.
The writing in this book is very easy to read. The author writes in a manner that, while scientific, is still extremely clear and easy to read. Each term that the reader might not know about is defined within the text, in a manner that doesn't interrupt the flow of the writing. The overall flow of the writing is smooth and each chapter or section transitions fluidly to the next.
I am really glad that I read this book. I felt that I learned a lot about the world's beaches and what we need to do to protect them in their natural state. I hadn't realized the extent that the world's beaches were harmed by human actions and this book will definitely make me think further the next time I set foot on a beach. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the environment or who spends a lot of time at the beach; this is definitely a book that will make you think.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
May 4, 2014
This is a must read for beach lovers and for those who live in beach communities all over the world.
Will our beaches survive? That is the essential question posed in this high readable book by two research professors who traveled the world and combed the literature to present in nearly page turner prose the warnings about what could be the end of our beaches and our beach towns.
For your safety, for the safety and preservation of your beach community, and for all those curious about earth’s complicated system of renewal is allowed to remain as it is, this short book, divided into easily read sections, is informative and scholarly without being boring.
This is an essential read for all those who love a beach – who doesn’t?
Will our beaches survive? That is the essential question posed in this high readable book by two research professors who traveled the world and combed the literature to present in nearly page turner prose the warnings about what could be the end of our beaches and our beach towns.
For your safety, for the safety and preservation of your beach community, and for all those curious about earth’s complicated system of renewal is allowed to remain as it is, this short book, divided into easily read sections, is informative and scholarly without being boring.
This is an essential read for all those who love a beach – who doesn’t?
May 10, 2014
Beaches are a dynamic ecosystem which change shape, take on the impact of storms and provide homes to living organisms and marine animals, but slowly its becoming so damaged by the climate, sea and man interfering with nature that its disrupting the movement of sand and waves. beach sand mining is also having detrimental effects on beaches who are battling by pollution from sewage, oil and chemicals and plastics. This is a brilliant book, geography and climate change all rolled into.
August 13, 2014
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The Last Beach is an eye-opening book about the perilous state of the world's beaches and the mounting dangers to these fragile ecosystems. Both authors, Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper, are environmental scholars with a focus on shorelines and coasts. They lay out the many dangers faced by beaches, from sand mining to pollution to man-made structures, that are only increasing in quantity and severity. The authors use a lot of powerful, negative examples of how beaches are being destroyed and, with their destruction, the loss of unique & important environments.
With the many competing groups interested in beaches - leisure-seekers, local governments, corporations, multi-millionaire homeowners, coastal engineers - there is no unified effort to save beaches in a comprehensive manner. The authors recommend four rules to preserve beaches for the future:
1. Do not build seawalls - though these are intended to preserve beaches, they end up eroding the beach over time.
2. Do not build beachfront high-rises - high-rises prevent flexibility in responding to sea-level rise and lead to seawalls.
3. Do not mine sand - removing sand (for construction or beach replenishment elsewhere) destroys beachs.
4. Value the beach ecosystem
This is a well-researched, thoroughly thought-out book that leaves you with a sobering view of beaches. It would be useful for those doing research on the topic or those with just an interest in coastal ecosystems.
The Last Beach is an eye-opening book about the perilous state of the world's beaches and the mounting dangers to these fragile ecosystems. Both authors, Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper, are environmental scholars with a focus on shorelines and coasts. They lay out the many dangers faced by beaches, from sand mining to pollution to man-made structures, that are only increasing in quantity and severity. The authors use a lot of powerful, negative examples of how beaches are being destroyed and, with their destruction, the loss of unique & important environments.
With the many competing groups interested in beaches - leisure-seekers, local governments, corporations, multi-millionaire homeowners, coastal engineers - there is no unified effort to save beaches in a comprehensive manner. The authors recommend four rules to preserve beaches for the future:
1. Do not build seawalls - though these are intended to preserve beaches, they end up eroding the beach over time.
2. Do not build beachfront high-rises - high-rises prevent flexibility in responding to sea-level rise and lead to seawalls.
3. Do not mine sand - removing sand (for construction or beach replenishment elsewhere) destroys beachs.
4. Value the beach ecosystem
This is a well-researched, thoroughly thought-out book that leaves you with a sobering view of beaches. It would be useful for those doing research on the topic or those with just an interest in coastal ecosystems.
March 2, 2015
Save our shores
The Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey, Jr., and J. Andrew G. Cooper (Duke University Press, $19.95).
Everybody loves a walk on the beach. Unfortunately, some of our favorite sandy spots may not be around much longer. Truth be told, you’ve probably already noticed changes along your favorite shores, though some are in much worse shape than others.
In The Last Beach, Orrin H. Pilkey, Jr., and J. Andrew G. Cooper, who have written on shoreline ecosystems and preservation together and separately, detail the threats to our shores and coastlines from development, rising sea levels, more devastating storms linked to climate change, and, ironically, the very seawalls and jetties designed to protect beaches.
In a comprehensive—and understandable for the non-oceanographer—overview of the state of the world’s shores is a call to action, as well: Unless we protect our shores as the treasures that they are, with unique and irreplaceable resources and ecosystems, before long, no one will be building castles in the sand.
Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com
The Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey, Jr., and J. Andrew G. Cooper (Duke University Press, $19.95).
Everybody loves a walk on the beach. Unfortunately, some of our favorite sandy spots may not be around much longer. Truth be told, you’ve probably already noticed changes along your favorite shores, though some are in much worse shape than others.
In The Last Beach, Orrin H. Pilkey, Jr., and J. Andrew G. Cooper, who have written on shoreline ecosystems and preservation together and separately, detail the threats to our shores and coastlines from development, rising sea levels, more devastating storms linked to climate change, and, ironically, the very seawalls and jetties designed to protect beaches.
In a comprehensive—and understandable for the non-oceanographer—overview of the state of the world’s shores is a call to action, as well: Unless we protect our shores as the treasures that they are, with unique and irreplaceable resources and ecosystems, before long, no one will be building castles in the sand.
Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com
April 25, 2021
Eye-opening. Sea walls, groins, beach replenishment, sand mining, pollution...I will never be able to look at a beach the same way again.
October 15, 2014
Exactly 20 years ago this fall, I was introduced to the work of Orrin Pilkey when, as a college senior raised in a land-locked state, I chose coastal erosion as the topic of my honors thesis. In those days of Silver Platter and Gopher, Pilkey had a talent for translating complicated scientific concepts into language a journalism major who'd taken all of 2 undergraduate science classes could understand. And the picture wasn't pretty, even then, particularly on the East Coast of the United States, where the barrier islands that had protected the shore for centuries had been filled with condos and amusement parks and where the measures to protect property had just accelerated the damage or moved it to a different community.
In The Last Beach, Pilkey (and co-author Andrew Cooper) brought me up date on what's been happening since. And, as the word "last" might indicate, the picture isn't pretty. Not only do they talk about the corruption of natural processes, but they also address solely manmade phenomena, such as digging up beaches so the sand can be sold to make concrete. You can hear the authors' frustration and desperation as they recount one horror after another. The Last Beach almost reads like a message in a bottle, one last act of hope that someone might hear their cries. Don't expect any easy answers, as none exist. Also, consider moving inland.
In The Last Beach, Pilkey (and co-author Andrew Cooper) brought me up date on what's been happening since. And, as the word "last" might indicate, the picture isn't pretty. Not only do they talk about the corruption of natural processes, but they also address solely manmade phenomena, such as digging up beaches so the sand can be sold to make concrete. You can hear the authors' frustration and desperation as they recount one horror after another. The Last Beach almost reads like a message in a bottle, one last act of hope that someone might hear their cries. Don't expect any easy answers, as none exist. Also, consider moving inland.
July 26, 2015
Do you want buildings or do you want beaches? That's the focus of this book as it lays out the multitude of ways that various engineering "solutions" to protect over-developed shorelines are destroying the beaches in front of them.
May 3, 2016
How are humans destroying our beaches? How are structures built to protect shores really doing the opposite? Read the book and find out!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews