Surfing is big business in Santa Cruz, but climate change has emerged as an existential threat to the sport. If something isn’t done soon, local revenue could go over the falls.
The danger was summarized in a recent report published by nonprofit organizations Save the Waves Coalition and Black Surf Santa Cruz. According to the authors, surfing attracts around 783,000 visits to the county each year. The total economic impact is nearly $200 million per year.
But like other coastal towns, Santa Cruz’s surf economy is threatened by sea level rise. Just one additional foot could significantly reduce surfable waves. Less surfing would mean less tourism, recreation, and local spending — and therefore, less government revenue.
“Ultimately, the project showed that all surf breaks in Santa Cruz are highly vulnerable to climate-change induced sea level rise in their present day conditions and the surfability of all of the waves in the study area will greatly diminish with each foot of projected sea level rise,” according to the authors.
For the first foot of sea level rise, Santa Cruz would lose an estimated $12.8 million. A second foot would cost the local economy $12.6 million. Another $9.1 million would be lost at three feet.
Santa Cruz is not alone in its predicament. Coastal towns across the state are grappling with the future of climate change and considering ways to mitigate fallout. As ABC News notes, a group of activists in Pacifica have approached that city about building an artificial reef that could help protect the sea wall and create a wave break for surfers.
Read more about the plan here.