Death of eminent scientist is a loss for North Carolina and the nation

NC Newsline

The cause of basing public policies on science has taken several destructive blows in the U.S. of late, and sadly, it absorbed another one last week with the death of Orrin Pilkey.

Pilkey was longtime Duke University geology professor who, among other things, was a dedicated truth teller on the subject of development along North Carolina’s fragile coastline.

As the New York Times reported, Pilkey made the case bluntly and persuasively over a period of several decades that it was a mistake to put condos, hotels, roads, and other heavy infrastructure on unstable, vulnerable landscapes like the thin ribbons of sand that comprise the Outer Banks.

Pilkey’s math-based analysis and public advocacy played a major role in North Carolina’s wise decisions to largely ban seawalls and to accept the reality that beaches constantly move and will recover much faster from storms when burdened with fewer buildings.

The bottom line: Orrin Pilkey’s contributions to North Carolina were huge. Carrying on his efforts to inform policy with science is the best way to honor his legacy.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.