Sea change : Britain's coastal catastrophe

We have a special relationship with the sea. It is the single most powerful driver of our economy, our lifestyle and our politics.

It affects what we eat, how we use the land, how we relate to our neighbours, how we travel, even the thickness of our coats.

Yet we go on treating it, with childlike faith and unreason, as if we imagine it to be infinitely resourceful and endlessly forgiving.

Sea Change addresses such issues as pollution by sewage, nuclear waste and dumping at sea; extinction of fish stocks; destruction of marine environment, impacts of climate change, coastal erosion and rising sea levels; decline of our seaside resorts; the failure of the 'integrated transport policy';and smuggling.

In each case Girling questions: how did the situation arise?

What are the consequences? What should be done? And what will happen when we fail? His unique voice blends horror, humour and 'just fancy that'; sifting for solutions in the sands, he is utterly compelling, entertaining and inspirational.