Sea level rise

[sp1214]

If the global sea level rises by nearly 1' in the next decade what extra is the government doing about our sea defences?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7261171.st m

[jake-the-peg]

Well they spend about half a billion a year on them
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/fun ding.htm

The details of the Shorelime Management Plan system are here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/smp .htm

[sp1214]

Is an EXTRA increase of �200 million enough to protect quotes assets of �130 billion likely to be hit by flooding?

[Booldawg]

Surely there are enough long-term unemployed shirkers to form a decent sized human 'sandbag' wall around our green and pleasant isle?

[jake-the-peg]

It's actually a lot more complex than you might imagine.

Just building a great big concrete barrier is what people used to do, but that doesn't take the energy out of the sea. The destruction just moves further down the coast.

The problem is really planning issues. Salt water marshlands that used to form a natural barrier are increasingly "reclaimed" and luxury houses are getting built places like in the floodplain downstream of the Thames barrier!

If you try to fight the sea and just build barriers you will lose, hopefully we've already learnt this lesson.

However since 1900 sea levels have steadily risen 1-2mm per year. In order to rise 1' in the next decade we'd need to see an increase in rise 15-30 times that, so I think we may have a little more time than you suggest

[sp1214]

We don't know whether the sea will rise by 1' in the next decade. That BBC report says it is possible depending on the antartic melting ice which is accelerating. Another report said that 1m of cliffs were being lost every year on the south so keeping our clliffs pure white.

Singapore is actually reclaiming land from the sea. We could also do this if we built artificial reefs to take out the energy of the waves and deposited much of our unwanted rubbish that currently uses landfills. Alright so it costs a lot but land on a small island like ours is precious.

The Dutch have built barriers (is it the Zayder Zee project?) because the country lies mostly below sea level.

[jake-the-peg]

They also acknowledge that the IPCC report predicts rises between 9 and 88 cm between 1990 and 2100 so clearly 30 cm in one decade is way beyond the consensus scientific position.

Generally constructing public policy on a minority scientific opinion is a bad idea.

Funny you should mention the Zuider Zee because it's a good example - they have seen heavy erosion in places like the west coast of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland.

The lesson is that you can protect some place but only at a cost to others

[tufty7]

oh well, those that live near the coast should start to make there properties water tight , you cannot beat mother nature, what will be will be , as long as you prepare as much as you can for the day it happens .....