North Carolina outer beaches erode on average 2 feet per year. Some beaches erode at 8 feet every year. It’s worse when there are storms. This interactive map shows the most vulnerable beaches.

But, that’s not why I posted this chart.

The federal government pays North Carolina to restore these beaches. Beach restoration is an interesting and controversial process. A special boat is launched just off shore. In a process called dredging, the boat scrapes sand from the ocean floor. It then dumps and pumps the sand along the beach. I’ll post a video so you can see it. Some local taxes are used to pay for this, but the majority comes from American tax payers.

This type of beach nourishment is expected to go forever, or at least for as long as people choose to live in the areas. Thus, federal assistance is a sort of perpetual insurance for North Carolinians. In sum, North Carolina’s new law that bans local cities from using climate science are forced to depend on federal assistance to forever take care of their self-mad mess.

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