Norbert P. Psuty is a professor emeritus at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University.

Two major factors changing the coast in New Jersey and New York are relative sea-level rise, about 16 inches in the past century in this area, and the absence of new sediment to replace that being eroded by waves and currents. Global sea-level rise is a fact. Every tidal gauge in our area shows the continual elevation of the ocean, and the rate of rise is increasing, especially in the past few decades. Further, there are no major rivers discharging new sediment to the coastal zone to replace that being eroded.

We can avoid damage like that of Hurricane Sandy if we encourage people to move and discourage further development.

We can learn from the patterns of damage created by Hurricane Sandy. Some coastal areas are very vulnerable to storm surge, and this will not abate as long as those two factors continue to reshape the coast. The key to reducing future damage in these areas is a change in existing land use, and that means reducing development in at-risk sites.

One step could be an expansion of the Coastal Barrier and Resources Acts of 1982 and 1990, whereby public subsidies are withheld from designated coastal locations. In this case, perhaps subsidies could be reduced for the high-risk zones in the FEMA flood maps as well as other specific sites. Another approach would be offering a subsidy to encourage property owners to relocate.

Obviously, direct purchase of vulnerable areas is also effective at limiting future damage to development. Some efforts exist already, including the Blue Acres program in New Jersey.

Coastal erosion and shoreline displacement will continue. There is no sustainable option other than erecting walls at the shoreline. We know enough about why and how the coast is changing. What we need now is to use that information to alter land use and limit subsidies in high-risk areas.