Global warning to cause increased coastal erosion
The effects of global warming on the ice caps is expected to increase sea levels by 15-90 centimetres in the next 75 years.
Leading climatologist Dr Kieran Hickey said the cost to the state would be enormous.
“With an integrated central government approach, we should be able to manage the expected sea level rise up to 2100, but it will cost us billions of euro in terms of defences and compensation. Tough political decisions will have to be made,” he said.
Dr Hickey said the rise in sea levels would lead to an increase in coastal erosion and increased flooding in coastal cities such as Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Waterford.
“As sea-level rise continues the potential for big storms to raise water levels higher and higher, well beyond existing record levels, increases significantly, so it’s not a question of if but when,” he said.
Last year, Cork and Waterford experienced major flooding when storms pushed up water levels. The storms also stopped the removal of water from rivers, which led to widespread flooding in the Suir Valley as far inland as Clonmel.
In the current issue of the Local Planet newspaper, Dr Hickey said the national coastal management strategy, which was drawn up in 1997, envisaged a huge effort from state departments right down to local groups.
“This was shelved by the then Government, so no change has taken place,” he said.
The strategy estimated about 150,000 hectares of land was vulnerable to loss from sea-level rise.
“The rise in sea level would have serious effects on the coastline, increased erosion, flooding, breaching of coastal defences and loss of habitat and amenity,” it said.
Dr Hickey said protection of coastlines by the Government had been very poor.
“Currently the county councils are responsible for coastal protection on a piecemeal basis, and with limited budgets to tackle the problem.”
He said whole farms had disappeared due to coastal erosion since the 1840s.
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