The name makes you dream, but could well evoke a disappeared beach. In Hawaii, the Waikiki spot is one of the most popular in the archipelago, but also one of the most threatened.
Highly involved in environmental protection in Hawaii, the non-profit organization Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii regularly posts the results of its beach clean-ups on its Instagram account. In its sieve, the association's volunteers collect kilos of tiny bits of plastic (see below).
If the pollution of the beaches by these thousands of microplastics is now a phenomenon known by the general public (from the 150 million tons of plastic waste that pollute the oceans), global warming is another major concern for some coasts. But if it is less visible, it clearly threatens some beaches, like the one of Waikiki, which remains one of the most popular in Hawaii.
The rise in sea level has already had a significant impact on this spot, which is also popular with beginner surfers. The erosion is progressing while the sand is not replaced by the coral reefs which do not produce enough sand anymore because they are sick because of the increase of the temperatures.
"People might be surprised to see just how artificial this beach is," Dolan Eversole, Waikiki beach management coordinator and geologist with the Special Improvement District Association, told the website Politico in a wide-ranging investigation by journalist Melanie Warner. "If the beach isn't redeveloped, we can expect it to disappear completely within 20 to 30 years. It's important to understand that this landscape isn't necessarily destined to be there forever, especially if nothing is done. Today, with the measures taken, we're just buying time, but one day it will be too late."
In order to fight against the disappearance of one of its most emblematic beaches, the government of the Hawaiian State has financed since 2006 the transportation of sand from other beaches to replenish the Waikiki beach. A cost of several million dollars that will not prevent more radical decisions, by forcing the population to move back (thus destroying the houses closest to the beach) or by building houses in height, fatally caught up one day by the rising waters.
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In 2017, a report assessed the rise in water levels over the next 20 years and estimated that the 15 cm rise in sea level over the last 10 years would therefore continue. The stakes are high for the Hawaiian state, which sees nearly 10 million tourists arrive on its shores every year. Waikiki Beach alone is worth an estimated $2 billion a year, a financial windfall vital to the archipelago's survival. However, the damage caused by rising sea levels is estimated at almost $5 billion if the public authorities don't take matters into their own hands. A major challenge if the locals don't want to see one of the world's most famous beaches disappear.