DURHAM - In the United Kingdom, a highly visible societal debate is going on about how the nation will respond to sea level rise. Environment officials recognize that, from the standpoints of engineering feasibility and costs, the entire coast cannot possibly be defended. So the question boils down to what can be preserved in the rising sea level and what will have to be abandoned.

The British government has declared that a number of small villages, especially in East Anglia, Norfolk and Suffolk, will have to be abandoned. For example, the village of Overstrand, a cluster of 135 houses plus several businesses, will be allowed to fall into the sea in this century. Abandonment has also been recommended for 25 square miles of the flat, low-elevation Norfolk "Broads," along with six villages and five small lakes.

There are no plans for the government to pay those who will lose their houses, although perhaps that wouldn't be too costly. Homeowner Jane Archer from Happisburgh discovered that for loan purposes, a bank considered her home atop a rapidly eroding sea cliff to be valued at one British pound.

In contrast, planning for the sea level rise along our coast is at a very rudimentary stage. The United States hasn't come close to the U.K.'s level of recognition of the rising sea level. Just as in Britain, it is certain that we cannot protect all of our coastlines, which include 3,000 miles of ocean shoreline and 35,000 miles of estuary/sound shorelines on the East Coast alone.

Not only have we not begun serious planning for sea level rise, we also continue to take actions that will make any response more difficult.

High-rise buildings are the biggest hurdle to sea level rise response, and in Florida, high-rise construction continues at a rapid pace, adding to the many hundreds of such buildings already lining the shore. Rule No. 1 in long-term preparation for sea level rise should be prohibition of high-rises anywhere near the shoreline.

High-rises can't be moved and represent a large financial loss if demolished. North Carolina has done well in stopping the New Jerseyization (seawalling) of our shorelines through laws forbidding hard stabilization. We need to do equally well in preventing Floridization with high-rises. So far, North Carolina has 24 beachfront buildings that are six stories or higher.

We need to start taking action now, because as the sea level rise accelerates, problems of the big coastal cities will take precedence over our barrier island communities. It's doubtful whether public funding will be available to protect barrier island development. Boston, New York, Washington D.C., and Miami will come first.

Rule No. 2 is recognition that buildings on high-erosion beach segments such as the north ends of Ocean Isle, Figure Eight and North Topsail Beach will have to be removed. North Topsail Beach recently announced that it has agreed to buy and remove six duplex houses, which have been on the beach for months, for $1.6 million plus the cost of demolishing the buildings.

But why pay for the houses? Who was it that made the bad decision to buy a house next to an eroding shoreline? Why should taxpayers be responsible for this foolish decision?

There are a total of 8,300 beachfront buildings, large and small, along the North Carolina coast. It will cost billions if we buy all threatened buildings.

Texas recognizes that beaches are state parks, and no one is allowed to own a building in a state park. When buildings come out on the beach because of shoreline erosion, the owner must remove the building from the beach.

In truth, in the maelstrom of Texas politics, enforcement of the law is lacking. But the approach of preserving beaches and making individuals responsible for their derelict buildings is a relatively painless way to respond to sea level rise.

North Carolina would do well to follow the Texas path and designate our beautiful beaches to be parks. This way we will pass beautiful beaches on to future generations.

(Orrin H. Pilkey is James B. Duke professor of earth science, emeritus, in Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.)

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