Arrecife, among the cities in the world where sea level will rise the most due to climate change

If the worst climate scenarios are met and the five-degree mismatch is reached, the sea could rise up to 0.81 meters by the end of this century and up to 1.29 meters in 2150, according to NASA.

May 2 2024 (20:28 WEST)
Updated in May 3 2024 (12:36 WEST)
Image from this Wednesday of El Reducto Beach. The City Council prohibits swimming temporarily

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, has created an interactive system that allows us to know which places in the world will be most affected by the rise in sea level. The tool allows you to visualize and download data on these projections, based on the sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Among them, NASA reports that the Canary Islands has several points in danger due to the rise in sea level, one of them in Lanzarote.

The IPCC is a United Nations body that was created to provide scientific advice on climate change. Among other things, it allows the creation of consensus projections on possible future scenarios. Specifically, it bases the predictions on data collected between 1995 and 2014 and draws up to five possible situations, depending on the increase in Earth's temperature and whether or not states manage to curb the emission of greenhouse gases.

Broadly speaking, the best-case scenario predicts that the global temperature of the planet will increase by 1.5 degrees in 2100 compared to what it was between 1850 and 1900. This would imply reaching zero CO2 emissions in 2050. According to these forecasts, if the temperature increase is 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, during the decade of 2040 the sea will increase by 0.14 meters in Arrecife. Meanwhile, in 2080 it will grow to 0.33 meters and in 2150 it will reach half a meter.

If, on the contrary, the worst climate scenarios are met and the five degrees of mismatch are reached, the sea could rise up to 0.81 meters by the end of this century and up to 1.29 meters in 2150. If this reality is even exceeded, an increase of 0.79 meters could be reached in 2100 and it could reach up to 2.04 meters of sea level rise in 2150.

In a talk given last year in Lanzarote, the expert in coastal engineering, climate change and offshore energy Íñigo Losada explained that "in the worst scenarios", where a higher frequency of extreme episodes is expected, part of the center of Arrecife would sink. For example, affecting spaces such as La Plazuela.

Although this map places special emphasis on Arrecife, in other areas of the Lanzarote coast and even in the Chinijo Archipelago and La Graciosa the growth is a few centimeters greater, endangering the coastal areas.
 
Despite the information from NASA, which adds to the report published by the Government of the Canary Islands in the previous legislature, on the points of risk due to the rise in sea level. Most of the institutions of Lanzarote are not prepared to face climate change on the island. Climate advisor Ezequiel Navío explained in a recent interview with La Voz that only three municipalities in Lanzarote have completed or are finishing their adaptation plans.
Projections of sea level rise in Arrecife. Source: Nasa.
Projections of sea level rise in Arrecife. Source: NASA.

 

 

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