According to the second World Ocean Assessment, the shoreline of approximately 15% of all sandy beaches worldwide has been retreating with an average trend of 1 m or more per year over the past 33 years. Coastal erosion and changes in sedimentation pose severe risks to coastal infrastructure, property, economic activities and ecological systems, and adaptation calls for significant investment. Findings in the WOAII reveal that the projection for risk and damage associated with coastal erosion and changes in sedimentation indicates that they are likely to increase in the future. Photo Credit: Derek Thomson