LOBBYING FOR COASTAL PROTECTION IN EUROPE

Coastal risks refer to coastal erosion, tidal inundation and coastal flooding. That means that coastal riks are those currently at risk and those additional areas that are likely to be at risk in the future as sea level continues to rise unless the impacts of sea level rise can be effectively mitigated. Coastal flooding in lowland areas will be of particular concern in the future as a consequence of sea level rise, including increased likely frequency, duration and height of flooding and consequently emergency evacuation and likely property and infrastructure damage.

A quite accurate estimate has now been made of which nations would suffer the most from a rise of sea level because a large percentage of the population lives in coastal regions.

The most vulnerable regions in Europe are the east of England, the coastal strip extending from Belgium through the Netherlands and Germany to Denmark, and the southern Baltic Sea coast with the deltas of Oder and Vistula rivers. There are also heavily-populated, flood-prone areas along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, such as the Po delta of northern Italy and the lagoon of Venice as well as the deltas of the Rhône, Ebro and Danube rivers.

Some densely-populated areas in the Netherlands, England, Germany and Italy already lie below the mean high-water mark. Without coastal defence mechanisms these would already be flooded today. For all these regions, therefore, the question of how fast the sea level will rise is extremely important and of vital interest. We need to resolve how we can intensify coastal protection right away, how society can adapt itself to the new situation, and whether it might even be necessary to abandon some settlements in the future.

Projected annual damage from coastal flloding is projected to grow to € 5 billion by 2020 for the EU.

Potential Protection Adaptation Responses

• Dikes/surge barriers
• Coastal Defences
• Nourishment/Sediment Management
• Saltwater inclusion barriers
• Freshwater injection
• Upgrade drainage systems
• Polders

The top five countries for adaptation costs are the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Germany- four of these countries are also in the top five for damage costs. When considering costs per kilometre of coast, the Netherlans, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the UK have the highest adaptation costs. In terms of their size economies, Ireland, Cyprus, Estonia, Denmark and Greece have the highest adaptation costs. For Denmark and Greece this is due to their long coastlines. For Ireland, Cyprus and Estonia it is due their smaller economies.

What needs to be done?

1. Assess and evaluate coastal risks taking into account sea level rise planning benchmarks;
2. Advise the public of coastal risks to ensure that informed land use planning and development decision-making can occur;
3. Avoid intensifying land use in coastal risk areas through appropriate strategic and land use planning;
4. Consider options to reduce land use intensity in coastal risk areas where feasible;
5. Minimise the exposure of development to coastal risks;
6. Implement appropriate management responses and adaptation strategies, with consideration for the environmental, social and economic impacts of each option.