Coastal Towns Told to Radically Transform in Face of Sea Level Rise

Cities along the British coast are being warned that sea level rise over the next 100 years will have significant destructive effects. Officials are being cautioned to consider city-altering plans that shift populations away from endangered areas.

1 minute read

January 16, 2010, 1:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg

"The Institution of Civil Engineers and the Royal Institute of British Architects yesterday warned the future of cities including London, Bristol and Liverpool was at risk from seas which the Environment Agency predict could rise by as much as 1.9m by 2095 in the event of a dramatic melting of the Greenland ice sheet.

The report, Facing up to Rising Sea Levels. Retreat? Defence? Attack?, suggests swaths of Hull and Portsmouth's city centres could be allowed to flood over the next 100 years and large parts of the populations moved out."

In models of the future, existing city centers could become islands floating amid flooded cities. Planners are being advised to begin forming plans to counteract the threat.

FULL STORY: British coastal cities threatened by rising sea 'must transform themselves'

Friday, January 15, 2010 in Guardian

Environment Land Use Urban Development World United Kingdom Sea Level Rise Coastal Cities Britain View More

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