Among the proposed rule changes are increasing the first-floor elevations of new buildings along the coast. To some, climate change and the resulting sea-level rise just don't seem real.

By Peter B. Lord; Journal Environment Writer Among the considered changes: higher elevations for construction and different requirements for septic systems.

By Peter B. Lord; Journal Environment Writer An immeasurable amount of sand has been ripped away from some of the state's best-known beaches, such as Narragansett and Misquamicut.