Fears over global warming threat to coastline

UP to half of Ireland’s 5,800km of coastline is in danger of disappearing beneath the sea because of global warming, a leading academic has warned.

Coastal erosion could soon impact on tourism, householders and businesses as well as having a severe environmental impact.

The situation is serious enough that policy makers should consider ceasing all development in low-lying costal areas and flood plains, said professor Robert Devoy of UCC’s Geography Department.

“We know that if you build in valleys you’ll get flooded but we persist in building and developing in nice flat land in river valleys,” he said. “We need to make decisions now as to how we are going to plan development and these decisions will have very serious consequences for the future as well as having implications for what land is released for development.”

As a result of coastal erosion, the country’s coastline is shrinking at a rate of 300 hectares each year. However, Prof Devoy said global warming could make the situation much worse.

Much coastline is eroded by half a metre annually while areas of softer clay-based coast are disappearing at a rate of up to two meters each year.

Last year, Dr Andrew Cooper of the University of Ulster’s Coastal Research Group criticised authorities saying the coastlines of the North and the Republic were vulnerable and poorly managed.

Impending climate changes in the earth’s atmosphere will mean storms will become more frequent and powerful. The North Atlantic sea will also become rougher meaning that shorelines, especially on Ireland’s north and west coast, could suffer increasing damage and destruction, he said.

The immediate effects of a rise in sea levels due to climate change were demonstrated in Dublin last year when a combination of abnormally high tides and a lack of coastal protection caused severe flooding of the East Wall and Ringsend areas.