The Last Beach

"We're all used to lying on beaches and zoning out—but it turns out that if we want those beaches to be there much longer we better stand up and make our voices heard. This is fascinating new information about one of the planet's most beloved ecosystems."
- Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape

"The Last Beach is a must-read for anyone interested in the plight of the world's beaches. This brave confrontation with coastal engineers, coastal planners, developers, politicians, and beachfront property owners lays bare their adverse impact on the world's beaches."
- Andrew Short, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney

“A clarion call for a change of policy that prioritizes the preservation of beaches over property rights.” - Kirkus Reviews

“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.” - Mountaineer in a Flat Land blog

"Beaches, whether sandy or stony, are very much part of summer, but if Orrin Pilkey and Andrew Cooper’s The Last Beach is right, the traditional seaside may soon be a thing of the past. These two geomorphologists argue that the problem is that beaches are dynamic systems, and change position, size and composition as a result of wave action and tidal flow…. Their book neatly combines geography with climate studies and conservation, making it an accessible guide to the threats facing a natural resource we mostly take for granted. The Last Beach shows that Westerners should not get smug about their future because development and house prices frequently trump environmental good sense.” - Adrian Barnett, New Scientist

“The Last Beach did not make my swim this morning much happier, but it does provide its own alarm call – as well as offering a plan of action to reclaim the beach, for ourselves and for future generations.” - Philip Hoare, Times Higher Education

“Pilkey and follow geologist J. Andrew G. Cooper of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Ulster, warn that we will lose the beaches we have long enjoyed if we do not end our insistence on building whatever we want right up to the shoreline. Their book is packed with photographs of the consequences of poor conservation practices, from Topsail Island in North Carolina to Monopoli, Italy, to Benidorm, Spain, and beyond. They offer some dire predictions about what will happen if we don’t change our ways, as well as a way toward a kinder, saner relationship with our beaches.” - Cliff Bellamy, Durham Herald-Sun

“The professors make one last plea to change course before it's too late, which it probably already is. The book comes with a blurb from Bill McKibben, so you know it's going to be really good, environmentally alarming and totally depressing.” - Brian Howe, Independent Weekly

“The world’s beaches are disappearing, as much due to rising sea levels as to seaside development and the seawalls intended to protect those new buildings from the encroaching shoreline, say geologists Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper. . . . Perhaps copies of this book . . .  should have been distributed to the [Israeli] National Council for Planning and Building subcommittee due to meet next week to discuss objections to a seawall construction plan.” - Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz

“The Last Beach is sprinkled with fascinating trivia about beaches around the world. . . . it is clear and readable.”  - Theodoric Meyer, Washington Monthly

“This monograph differs by providing an all-encompassing review of the many complex factors affecting beaches, notably ill-advised engineering and development that limits natural beach processes, mining of beach material, myriad pollution sources, and the lack of general understanding of the true value of natural beaches. The clear, well-documented writing is accompanied by 67 photographs that illustrate the authors’ case for a “new view” of beaches. … Highly recommended. All academic and public libraries.” - A. S. Ricker, Choice

"The Last Beach will appeal to many readers. It is great for seaside homeowners and investors, city planners, coastal managers, geologists, and oceanographers. Those who seek to build by the ocean would do well to understand many of the factors that are presented in this book." - Ryder W. Miller, Electronic Green Journal

“This is an important book that is critical to the future of the world's beaches. . . . This book is required reading for all those interested in beaches and, indeed, in the very survival of their coastal habitations, infrastructure, and industrial-military complexes that are fronted by beaches.” - Charles W. Finkl, Journal of Coastal Research

"The Last Beach is an excellent overview of the environmental issues that affect beaches. Writing from scientific backgrounds, Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper provide readers with a comprehendible overview of coastal threats." - Victoria Machado, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics