Climate: half of the beaches could disappear by 2100

Text by: RFI Follow

Climate change and rising sea levels could wipe out half of the world's beaches by 2100, according to a study in the scientific journal Nature.

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The sandy coasts represent more than a third of the coastlines. They have become places of high economic value, especially with tourism which developed without constraint in the second half of the 20th century.

However, the sandy coasts, when they remain in their natural state, are in balance between erosion and accumulation of sand. But the construction of infrastructures such as dikes, ports or buildings, upsets this balance.

In view of the climate change which is leading to an increase in extreme phenomena, these sandy beaches, which form a protective mechanism against storms and floods, are therefore likely to erode quickly and no longer be able to play their protective role.

Australia could lose 15,000 km of beaches

Scientists at the European Commission's joint research center worked on two scenarios from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, they warn, rising oceans could make 132,000 km of coastline disappear, or half of the sandy beaches.

Among the countries most affected, Australia, which could lose 15,000 km of beaches, then Canada, Chile and the United States.

► Read : the report from the scientific magazine Nature

► To listen: Climate: the end of skiing is coming soon?

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