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I'll preface this with that I am a believer in climate change, etc, etc, not trying to deny anything, but listing the #1 reason that the shoreline moved as "cli

I'll preface this with that I am a believer in climate change, etc, etc, not trying to deny anything, but listing the #1 reason that the shoreline moved as "climate change" appears to be incorrect. The Outer Banks are a barrier island, and barrier islands naturally migrate over time; they have a general tendency to move rapidly and unpredictably. Another sign of this is that the Outer Banks, in the Rodanthe area, actually (net) migrated further from 1852 to 1946 than it did from 1852 to 2020.

plugger 4y ago
The storm that caused this erosion was a nor'easter, which are on average worse for the Outer Banks when compared to hurricanes as they're slower moving, which causes more beach erosion. Nor'easters are increasing in both size and frequency due to climate change. So I'm pretty sure highlighting it as the number one contributor is quite valid.
- owenversteeg 4y ago
  Sorry, but you’re wrong: 1. The house collapsed because of shoreline migration, not because of the storm. The shoreline has been migrating for a long time. These houses collapse even when there’s not a storm; there are currently 10 houses identified as being on the verge of collapse in just the Rodanthe area alone. 2. From historical records, shoreline migration in the Rodanthe area was actually more rapid in the 19th century than the 20th. This is consistent with what we know about barrier islands, which is that they migrate rapidly and unpredictably even in the absence of climate change. 3. Therefore, all signs point to the #1 cause here being natural barrier island migration. You may think you are doing a service to the cause of climate change by falsely attributing things like this to it, but you are instead doing it real damage. Many intelligent and powerful people in a position to do something about the issue see things like this - repeated lies and misleading statements from people who mean well - and conclude that climate change is not a real issue. Stop.

plugger 4y ago

The storm that caused this erosion was a nor'easter, which are on average worse for the Outer Banks when compared to hurricanes as they're slower moving, which causes more beach erosion. Nor'easters are increasing in both size and frequency due to climate change. So I'm pretty sure highlighting it as the number one contributor is quite valid.

owenversteeg 4y ago
Sorry, but you’re wrong: 1. The house collapsed because of shoreline migration, not because of the storm. The shoreline has been migrating for a long time. These houses collapse even when there’s not a storm; there are currently 10 houses identified as being on the verge of collapse in just the Rodanthe area alone. 2. From historical records, shoreline migration in the Rodanthe area was actually more rapid in the 19th century than the 20th. This is consistent with what we know about barrier islands, which is that they migrate rapidly and unpredictably even in the absence of climate change. 3. Therefore, all signs point to the #1 cause here being natural barrier island migration. You may think you are doing a service to the cause of climate change by falsely attributing things like this to it, but you are instead doing it real damage. Many intelligent and powerful people in a position to do something about the issue see things like this - repeated lies and misleading statements from people who mean well - and conclude that climate change is not a real issue. Stop.