Hundreds of billions of pounds worth of residential commercial and industrial assets are at long term risk of coastal flooding and erosion. Many of the defences currently in place are insufficient and unsustainable and will simply not cope with climate and coastal change. Man-made erosion accounts for more damage to our coastline than the natural elements. Inland quarries are not the only source of material used in our construction industry. Much of the aggregate used in buildings comes from offshore excavations - around 40 million tonnes are extracted each year.
Pollution is a major problem.
Shipping, local industry and tourism all play their part in dirtying the waters and filling the natural environment with our waste products. It is estimated that one million birds and up to 100,000 marine animals die each year from entanglement or ingestion of plastics alone. Sea-borne species fare little better. Damage to the aquatic environment and coastal habitats that act as spawning grounds, over fishing and the EU common fisheries policy has led to so much depletion of the fish stock that we are now contemplating eating our chips with alternatives to cod, haddock or plaice. Despite so many cities and industries being sited by the seaside, it is not always a happy place to be.