For many French people, the retreat of the coastline, in other words the limit between land and sea, is no longer an abstract concept but a reality that they have observed for years. The demolition last year of the Signal building in Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde) is the most striking symbol of this, but no coastal department is now immune to this threat, as evidenced by a report published Friday by the Center for studies and expertise on risks, environment, mobility and planning (Cerema).
Coastal erosion is eating away at 20% of French coasts. It is amplified by rising sea levels and the increase in extreme weather events due to global warming.
“Over the last fifty years, the equivalent of 4,200 football fields have gone into the sea
,” notes Julia Jordan, deputy director of water and sea risk activities at Cerema. For its part, the Court of Auditors cites the case of the west coast in a recent report…
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