Climate change is affecting shoreline erosion — the public understanding of that much is fairly well established.

What’s becoming clearer with each passing storm season, though, is that there are particular parts of Hawaii shoreline that are exposed to multiple natural forces that increasingly are taking their toll on the most vulnerable spots.

About 20 homes between Rocky Point and Pipeline in one area of the North Shore sit in such a spot. On Monday Honolulu Star-Advertiser writer Nina Wu chronicled the experience of homeowners Robert and Jo Jean Schieve, whose backyard was whittled by the surf to a point that came too close to the house itself for comfort.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources responds in cases of properties that are “imminently threatened,” under the state’s definition of that term, issuing permits for stop-gap improvements at the homeowner’s expense. And it ultimately did so in this case, allowing the Schieves to install an erosion mat that dissipates the force of the waves somewhat.

But the plain fact is that there’s nothing that will permanently stop the advance of the waves. And any stop-gap measure that’s allowed for private property can’t interfere with the state’s primary mission: to protect the beach resource.

Sam Lemmo, administrator of the department’s Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, said that DLNR officials met Tuesday with the governor to discuss the best way to handle petitions for an emergency conservation district use application.

This is what was issued to the Schieves: a conditional permit, good for three years, to install temporary emergency erosion control measures. These can include soft barriers, such as an “erosion mat” or a barrier known as a “burrito,” which absorb some of the wave energy.

DLNR rules state that the department director may decide to issue an emergency permit when a property is under “imminent threat” — erosion within 20 feet of the property, potentially undermining structures.

Unfortunately, Lemmo said, climate change is accelerating the shoreline impacts. And that means property owners who bought homes years ago without realizing the inherent risk of the location are confronting that hard reality now.

These are homes built on what’s called a “storm berm,” a formation of sand that forms inland of the active beach but which replenishes the beach sand displaced during phases of active storm erosion. Development here has disrupted that natural geological cycle, meaning that the sand is peeled away from the active beach with no berm to restore it, he added.

Lemmo said that agency officials are still in discussions this week about how to respond to the problem and likely will write guidance on how to proceed. Besides the stop-gap barriers, he said, DLNR can continue its “sand pushing” operations that artificially build up the sand fronting the shoreline properties. They should resume whenever the seasonal conditions bring the sand back.

However, he added, these provisions are meant only to buy some time for the landowner to consider options for retaining the property, long-term. The only thing that will stop the advance of the sea is to allow sea walls. But “hardening” the shoreline in this area will have the unintended consequences of scouring beaches farther down the shoreline. That North Shore region, Lemmo rightly said, offers world-famous beaches and surf spots comprising a precious state asset. Hawaii can’t afford to sacrifice that.

Agencies have been founded on state and city levels dedicated to climate change. So far the focus has been academic: think-tank visioning, planning and public education.

But the true work of climate- change policymaking is dealing with the practical reality of an island amid rising seas. Increasingly, it’s a hazardous place to live.