Coastal Retreat: Climate Change Impacts Settlements
- * Global Coastal Retreat: Over half (56%) of the worldS coastal regions have retreated inland between 1992 and 2019 due to intensifying climate hazards.
Key Facts from the Article:
* Global Coastal Retreat: Over half (56%) of the worldS coastal regions have retreated inland between 1992 and 2019 due to intensifying climate hazards.
* Regions Moving Towards the Coast: 16% of coastal regions are moving closer to the coast, including the Copenhagen area in Denmark. 28% remained stable.
* Regional Variations:
* Africa (67%) & Oceania (59%) lead in coastal retreat.
* Asia & South america show continued expansion towards the coast in many communities.
* Driving Factors: Coastal retreat is driven more by social and infrastructural vulnerability than by historical exposure to hazards.
* Adaptation Gap: Nearly half of low-income regions (Africa & Asia) are unable to retreat, frequently enough due to economic needs and lack of resources.
* Middle-Income Countries: Most commonly exhibit retreat, possessing the capacity & resources to relocate but not enough wealth to rely solely on protective infrastructure.
* Low-Income Regions: Expand shoreline settlements for livelihoods and opportunity.
* High-Income Regions: May move closer to the coast due to confidence in managing risks with advanced infrastructure and defenses.
* Study Details:
* Published in Nature Climate Change.
* Analyzed 1,071 coastal regions in 155 countries using satellite nightlight data and socioeconomic datasets.
* Led by Sichuan University,with contributions from the University of Copenhagen (Alexander Prishchepov and Shengping Ding).
* Denmark: There’s ongoing debate in Denmark regarding policies to protect property owners from coastal flood damage.