Oceans vs cities: France's beaches are shrinking Roughly 40 percent of the world's population live in coastal areas. What once felt like a privilege — living close to the sea — is becoming increasingly risky. ️Climate change is speeding up coastal erosion. Rising sea levels and storms are threatening coastal towns like Lacanau, in southwestern France, which is considering moving inland by 2100. FRANCE 24's Aurore Cloé Dupuis, Alexandra Renard, John Walsh and Carlotta Poirier report.