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Hawaii is famous for its spectacular beaches. But over the past century, three of the state’s major islands have lost roughly one-quarter of their sandy shores.

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  1. the_papa
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    Thanks for posting. This is a great example of visualizations, interactive maps, and aerial footage done right (to effectively illustrate the issue). As someone who grew up in Hawaii, the story...

    Thanks for posting. This is a great example of visualizations, interactive maps, and aerial footage done right (to effectively illustrate the issue).

    As someone who grew up in Hawaii, the story itself made me incredibly sad. One the one hand, I can understand the desire by homeowners to save their properties (even if I don’t like). On the other hand, beachfront properties aren’t compatible with beach erosion patterns, sea level rise, and the destruction of public access beachfront. It seems like it’s yet another case where the wealthy will get their way (at least for a short time until mother nature wins), and one of the hallmarks of the islands—its gorgeous sandy beaches, a public common—will suffer.

    5 votes