The UK’s first climate refugees: why more defences may not save this village from rising sea levels

By Sophie Ward, Research Fellow in Physical Oceanography, Bangor University
Martin Austin, Senior Lecturer in Coastal Dynamics, Bangor University

The impact of rising sea levels on our coastlines can be profound. A natural shoreline can respond to sea level rise and coastal erosion, provided the rise isn’t too rapid.

Given enough time, flora and fauna may have a chance to adapt. But a coastal area which has been heavily developed will respond differently, sometimes with catastrophic impacts on both people and nature.

Fairbourne is a small village on the west coast of Wales and is the first place in the UK to have been assigned the long-term policy of “no…

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