Increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other gases are expected to cause a global warming that could raise sea level a few feet in the next century. This article examines four options by which barrier‐island communities could respond, focusing on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. For the next few decades, the most common response will probably be to raise the islands in place by pumping sand into beaches and building lots. Eventually, as costs increase, many communities may accept a gradual landward retreat. Nevertheless, federal agencies that encourage risky development, state agencies that discourage it, residents who feel entitled to subsidized coastal protection, and environmentalists insensitive to constitutional property rights will all have to compromise for a rational solution to be conceivable. Local officials on barrier islands should begin to hold public meetings to develop a public consensus on the appropriate response to sea level rise. © 1990 Taylor and Francis.
