The French Coast. A Threatened Treasure

A photographic journey by J Henry Fair, from his “On the Edge” project.

What will become of our coastlines? With climate change, melting glaciers and the slowing of the Gulf Stream, they are subject to an increasing number of storms and rising oceans. The consequences in store for this century are incalculable, yet the authorities and the public are ignoring the crisis. Denial is widespread, while sudden and brutal natural disasters threaten the very foundations of our civilization.

Alternating quasi-abstract illustrations, postcard visions and desolate images, these photos were taken during the summer of 2023 between Dunkirk and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The Mediterranean will be explored in August 2024.

From Cap Blanc Nez to the Dune du Pilat, via Mont Saint-Michel, La Rochelle and Biarritz.

Steeped in history and infinite variety, the French coastline is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary in the world. But its grandiose sites, wild coasts and seaside resorts - always sensational in their beauty, as shown by J Henry Fair - are under threat.

The dangers are there, as these shots remind us: excessive urbanization, aging steelworks, atomic power stations to be dismantled in a few decades, green algae, contaminated oyster beds, and so on. These visible calamities are compounded by an even greater peril: rising sea levels due to global warming.

As a result, the coastline is receding. It’s an ongoing phenomenon, the extent of which we are - at last - beginning to grasp. The results of various studies on the subject are staggering. It has been established that France has lost over 30 square kilometers of coastline in the last 50 years (currently the equivalent of a soccer stadium disappears every week). Hundreds of communes are at risk, including iconic summer destinations such as Quiberon, La Baule, Cap-Ferret, Collioures and Antibes.

According to an official government estimate, a thousand buildings (homes, second homes, public buildings, hotel restaurants, vacation villages, etc.) will be affected by 2028. By mid-century, according to the same study, Hexagone could have lost 70 km2 (overseas 10). By 2100, if sea levels rise by one metre, as predicted by the IPCC, coastline retreat could affect an area of...5,000 km2. Among the departments most at risk: Bouches du Rhône, Charente Maritime, Gironde, Gard and Manche. The survival of some 450,000 buildings (including 53,000 business premises) is at stake. The market value of the homes concerned alone is estimated at 86 billion euros. The total cost will be much higher. 

*Coastline projection and analysis of issues at national level. Horizons 2028, 2050 and 2100.

So many thanks to pilot Jean-François Bech of Le Havre