Maplin Sands Airport

Model of the proposed Maplin Sands Airport development on show to the press in the 1970s.

An article in The Guardian, 'King's Cross airport? The outlandish plans for London that almost got built' includes this photograph of a model of the once proposed Maplin Sands airport development, planned for the island of Foulness and the tidal sandbanks in the Essex Archipelago.

Read more about that with some fascinating (but frustratingly small) illustrations here.

Friends of the Earth joined protests against the airport with their Maplin Manifesto.

This sinking isle

The Guardian looks at some of those who refuse to accept the inward march of the sea and remain in precarious coastal properties: 'This sinking isle: the homeowners battling coastal erosion'.

'For fear of looking weak, few politicians dare admit the limitations of coastal defences in a century of rising seas. After the winter storms of 2013, Neil Parish, a Tory backbencher, cried out in parliament: “We have got to force the sea back and keep it out, not retreat from it like we have been for years.” This is natural territory for Ukip, whose heartlands – and winnable seats in the 2015 election – lie along England’s vulnerable east coast. Michael Baker, Ukip’s candidate for North Norfolk at the general election, insists: “Defence is the first duty of government. It is not only necessary to protect our country from invading human forces, but also from invasion by the sea and rivers.” '

Catastrophic Sea Level Rise

'The year is now 2015 and the human population is still shooting skyward as if there is some sort of bright techno-utopian future on the horizon, the high priests of capitalism are still praising endless growth, fossil fuels are still the predominant energy source on the planet, and the masses still can’t get enough of celebrity gossip. No need to worry about the future. I’m sure if there’s a buck to be made by holding back the rising tides, we can count on some capitalist lurking in the shadows to fix the problem. Sea walls will do the trick, right? Humans are looking more and more like ants on a floating turd: “When the log turns over we will all be dead…” '

from the Collapse of Industrial Civilization blog 'Catastrophic Sea Level Rise within Three Generations' 7th April 2015.