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Countries Are Building Giant ‘Sand Motors’ to Protect Their Coasts From Erosion
As sea levels rise, engineers are using massive Dutch-inspired sand sculptures to protect shorefront settlements.
Developed countries such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are turning to these megaprojects as an alternative to repeated nourishment, and the World Bank is financing a sand motor in West Africa as part of a billion-dollar adaptation program meant to fight sea-level rise. As part of an almost $500 million adaptation package meant to protect coastal areas in West Africa, the bank funded the construction of a large sand motor in the small nation of Benin, another country that faces an extreme erosion threat. According to a recent study, almost two-thirds of the region’s coastal settlements face severe economic and health disruptions from sea-level rise—most notably in the Nigerian megacity of Lagos, which sits on a marshland just a few feet above sea level.
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