A California town’s beaches are washing away. Can its residents turn the tide?

The Guardian reports: Rapid coastal erosion threatens coastal homes and economies, and as Super El Niño rounds the corner, a town is reckoning with the reality of climate crisis San Clemente is one of southern California’s most picture-perfect beach towns – a capital of American surf culture since the 1950s.

In two years, 2028 Olympic surfers will compete at Lower Trestles, a world-class surfing beach.

This environment story centres on the United States. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include California, Super El Niño and San Clemente.

Why it matters

Developments affecting the environment are closely tied to public health, economies and how communities prepare for change.

Key details

Location

United States · Americas

Reported by

The Guardian

First reported

18 Oct 2026, 16:30 IST

Key names

California, Super El Niño, San Clemente, American

Section

Environment

Sources

This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publisher:

• The GuardianA California town’s beaches are washing away. Can its residents turn the tide? 18 Oct, 16:30

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

Spotted an error? Request a correction · How this summary was produced