000012704 001__ 12704 000012704 005__ 20250228160737.0 000012704 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.6082/uchicago.12704 000012704 037__ $$aTHESIS 000012704 037__ $$bThesis 000012704 041__ $$aeng 000012704 245__ $$aHeads in the Sand: Beach Access and the Public Trust Doctrine Under Future Climate Scenarios on Illinois’s Lake Michigan Coast 000012704 260__ $$bUniversity of Chicago 000012704 269__ $$a2024-06 000012704 336__ $$aThesis 000012704 502__ $$bB.A. 000012704 520__ $$aIn the winter of 2020, Illinois suffered millions of dollars in coastal damage from abnormally strong waves. These waves were fueled by record high lake levels, a phenomenon expected to become increasingly likely under climate change. This paper examines the impact of climate change-induced lake level rise on beach access across the state. My mixed-methods approach combines spatial analysis of lake climate projections with legal analysis of their implications for beach access protections under the public trust doctrine. I find that up to sixty percent of existing beach spaces may be fully inundated by 2040. Furthermore, since existing public trust precedent assumes a stable lake level, it will be significantly challenged by rising water levels, leading to jurisdictional confusion for maintaining beach access even as beaches themselves steadily erode. Without significant policy intervention, Illinois may lose most of its Lake Michigan beaches. 000012704 540__ $$a© 2024 Jonathan Tomás García 000012704 690__ $$aSocial Sciences Division 000012704 690__ $$aThe College 000012704 691__ $$aEnvironment, Geography and Urbanization 000012704 691__ $$aEnvironmental and Urban Studies 000012704 691__ $$aPublic Policy Theses 000012704 7001_ $$aGarcía, Jonathan Tomás$$uUniversity of Chicago 000012704 72012 $$aEvan Carver 000012704 72014 $$aNina Olney 000012704 72014 $$aDaniel J. Sonnenstuhl 000012704 8564_ $$90a5fe901-2ada-49a0-9d51-63c3a60dc342$$ePublic$$s1896810$$uhttps://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/12704/files/Heads-in-the-Sand.pdf 000012704 908__ $$aI agree 000012704 909CO $$ooai:uchicago.tind.io:12704$$pGLOBAL_SET$$pTheses 000012704 983__ $$aThesis