New Delhi, November 21 (IANS). A study says climate change could increase risks for millions of people living in coastal areas.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, sea levels will rise by one meter by the year 2100. It could affect more than 14 million people on the southeast Atlantic coast from Norfolk, Virginia, to Miami, Florida.
This suggests that by the year 2100, 70 percent of the population in coastal areas could be exposed to shallow or rising groundwater, which would be a more serious threat than daily flooding.
This threat could cause asset prices to decline by nearly a trillion dollars, creating new problems for roads, buildings, septic systems, and other infrastructure.
Manoochehr Shirzaei of Virginia Tech’s Department of Geology said the impact of these associated threats will be greater than previously estimated.
“If strong adaptation measures are not taken, the threat of flooding from sinking land and loss of coastlines could displace millions of people and also damage critical infrastructure,” Shirzai said.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the US Geological Survey, concludes that a combination of coastal threats from climate change, including sea level rise, flooding, beach erosion, sinking land and rising sea levels, The impact has been assessed. All these threats are likely to increase further by the end of the 21st century.
Researchers also noted that coastal storms and storm surges will further increase the risk of flooding on land. If sea levels rise one meter, 50 percent of the people in the region will be affected by flooding, which will impact property prices by $770 billion.
This could lead to the loss of 80 percent of the sandy beaches in the southeast Atlantic region, which is famous for its islands and coastal ecosystems.
Additionally, many areas of the southeast Atlantic coast have become landlocked, exacerbating the effects of rising seas.
“We need to rethink how we plan and build for the future, especially in coastal areas that are more vulnerable,” Shirzai said. “If we are to fully recognize and take into account climate threats in resilience strategies, “, we can better protect our communities from the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather events.”
–IANS
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