Almost 150 beaches may be affected from 2050, especially in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 19 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The consequences of climate inaction in the Canary Islands could range from an increase in episodic flooding to damage to key infrastructure such as land transport routes, the disappearance of tourist beaches, the reduction of habitats and ecosystems and an increase in erosion throughout the coastal strip, according to the project ‘PIMA (Plan for the Promotion of the Environment) Adapts Canary Coasts’ prepared by the Department of Ecological Transition of the regional government.
The counselor, José Antonio Valbuena, explained this Thursday at a press conference that “this work is part of the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change and its main purpose is to determine the possible socioeconomic and ecological effects on the eight islands, in the hypothetical case that the worst scenarios of this global phenomenon are confirmed”.
In this sense, Valbuena recalled that the Executive has launched an ambitious “legislative ecosystem” in this legislature, with the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition as the spearhead, which will soon obtain final approval by the regional Parliament. .
The results compiled by the report always respond to hypothetical scenarios of total absence of application of adaptation measures.
Thus, Valbuena pointed out that “the scope and intensity associated with these phenomena, which constitute the components of danger, have been projected for the middle and end of the 21st century under two hypotheses of climate change, one of medium intensity — percentile 50% increase of sea level– and another of high intensity –95% percentile of rise in sea level–“.
For his part, the regional deputy councilor for the Fight against Climate Change, Miguel Ángel Pérez, explained that “it is expected that the variety of probable situations that may arise in the future, derived from the multitude of scenarios of concentrations of greenhouse gases and models of mean sea level rise, are included between these models, and this serves to give an indicative approximation to the range of probable situations”.
Among other data, it is reflected that the estimated direct economic losses, associated with both erosive processes and coastal flooding processes derived from climate change, can reach 11% of current GDP in the worst climate change scenario in 2100.
Miguel Ángel Pérez highlighted that “the most important impact, which could make up up to 75% of the estimated direct economic losses, corresponds to the effects of structural or permanent erosion on the tourist beaches of the archipelago.”
MORE THAN 10% OF SURFACE LOST
In this way, he explained that “it is estimated that the worst climate scenario of 2050 could affect 147 tourist beaches, with a total loss of surface area of 10.6%”.
The results indicate an east-west pattern in the geographical distribution of coastal risk associated with climate change in the archipelago, such that the territories of the eastern islands, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, will be subject to significantly higher risks in 2050 and 2100.
Taking into account all modeled socioeconomic and ecosystem impacts, 47 stretches of coastline with high accumulated risk have been identified in the Canary Islands, which should be the priority subject of detailed studies and plans for adaptation to climate change at the local level.
The ‘PIMA Adapta Costas’ guarantees the methodological uniformity of all the autonomous communities with the impulse of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), collects a note from the Ministry.
In the Canary Islands, the Ministry of Ecological Transition entrusted its drafting to the Public Company Cartography of the Canary Islands SA (Grafcan) which, in turn, has had the advice and assistance of its own technical and scientific staff, as well as the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics from the University of Cantabria (IHC) and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC).
