The analysis identified up to 1,900 kilometers of coastline – 30% off the coast of England – where authorities are currently planning to “hold the line” of existing flood defenses, along which some people may well have to move inland. , as the water crawls and the waves intensify. “We are not trying to intimidate,” lead author Paul Sayers of the Tyndall Center at the University of East Anglia told Sky News. However, the necessary “strategic response” to sea level rise “has not been addressed nor has it been addressed nationally,” he said. “We need an honest discussion about rising sea levels – that has not happened.” Published today in the journal Oceans and Coastal Management, the paper estimates that an additional 160,000 buildings are at risk of coastal flooding in addition to the approximately 35,000 already identified. How much of what needs to be moved is a matter of public policy, he says. The 10 UK local authorities facing the biggest challenge with rising sea levels, which are unlikely to be able to “hold the line” as currently planned, are expected to be North Somerset, Wyre, Swale, Tendring, Maldon, parts of Suffolk Coastal, North Norfolk, Cornwall, Medway and Sedgemoor. The cost of damage from coastal floods is projected to double from 60 million £ today to around 120 million. By the 2050s. ‘Fudged’ While sea levels are expected to rise by one meter in England by the end of this century, the urgency of the threat is “often underestimated in coastal politics” and the debate remains “a one-question debate only for future decision-makers”. the newspaper reported. “This is wrong,” he added. He chose holes in government and local policies that “lack clarity” on how to “transform” certain areas of the coastline, which could include the overthrow of defenses and the relocation of real estate. Last week, the head of the Environment Agency sounded the alarm in coastal communities condemned to be swallowed up by the sea as climate change shrinks Britain’s coastline. The government has allocated ,2 5.2 billion for flood and coastal defense since 2021, which will cover flood defense and property protection. A government spokesman said he was “exploring innovative approaches to adapt to the effects of coastal erosion” and an upcoming review would outline plans to manage coastal change risk over the next 100 years. “This will not be easy” “Sea level rise is one of the clearest messages we have from climate change,” Mr Sayers said. “And it will continue to grow for the time being, no matter what we do with emissions to some degree.” The study looked at how rising sea-induced climate change, combined with increased coastal erosion by larger waves, increases the risk of coastal flooding. While some communities can be saved with temporary storage defenses, in cases where this will be very expensive or complicated, people need help and financial support with change. “This will not be easy”, but the transformation of the coastline “requires a clear decision today and can not be assigned in the future”, the newspaper warns. Watch the Daily Climate Show at 15:30 Monday through Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. The show explores how global warming is changing our landscape and highlighting solutions to the crisis.
