Thank you to Island Free Press and Joy Crist for the September 27, 2021 article on the restoration of the historic Salvo Community Cemetery, which sound side erosion was destroying. The continued threat of coastal erosion across the Outer Banks was also noted. Beach stabilization is not only important to preserve our history but vital to sustain our economy through tourism. In terms of threats to our economy, climate change is its greatest threat, causing coastal flooding, more intense storms, and sea-level rise. Many towns on our NC coast could face financial hardship due to the expense of beach nourishment, road closures, and repairs, and damage to homes, businesses as well as historic sites. And fossil fuel use, not renewable technologies, is the cause. Some worry that proposed wind power will threaten tourism because tourists don’t want to see windmills when they look out from our beaches. But the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (www.boem.gov) project as planned will be built 27 miles off the Kitty Hawk coast and will not be visible from the shore. Rather than worrying about the indirect or future impacts of renewable technologies we need to do something now to mitigate the effects of carbon pollution we are already experiencing. We need action from our elected leaders to protect our coast by supporting carbon pricing legislation and renewable energy. You can contact Congressman Greg Murphy at https://gregmurphyforms.house.gov/contact/.Getting carbon emissions under control is key to saving historic sites and stabilizing our coastal economy.
AE McKeown, KDH resident
