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Regional issues raised by sea-level rise and their policy implications

Regional issues raised by sea-level rise and their policy implications
Regional issues raised by sea-level rise and their policy implications
Global sea levels are rising and this change is expected to accelerate in the coming century due to anthropogenic global warming. Any rise in sea level promotes land loss, increased flooding and salinisation. The impacts of and possible responses to sea-level rise vary at the local and regional scale due to variation in local and regional factors. Policy responses to the human-enhanced greenhouse effect need to address these different dimensions of climate change, including the regional scale. Based on global reviews and analyses of relative vulnerability, 4 contrasting regions are selected and examined in more detail using local and national assessments. These regions are (1) Europe, (2) West Africa, (3) South, South-East and East Asia and (4) the Pacific Small Islands. Some potential impacts of sea-level rise are found to have strong regional dimensions and regional cooperation to foster mitigation approaches (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, hence, the magnitude of climate change) and adaptive solutions to climate change impacts would be beneficial. For instance, in South, South-East and East Asia subsiding megacities and questions about long-term deltaic management are common and challenging issues. The debate on mitigation and stabilisation of greenhouse forcing also requires information on regional impacts of different emission pathways. These results will be provided by integrated models, calibrated against national assessments
0936-577X
5-18
Nicholls, R.J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076
Mimura, N.
3b5b0b12-5d17-4cce-8109-dd7655755887
Nicholls, R.J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076
Mimura, N.
3b5b0b12-5d17-4cce-8109-dd7655755887

Nicholls, R.J. and Mimura, N. (1998) Regional issues raised by sea-level rise and their policy implications. Climate Research, 11 (1), 5-18. (doi:10.3354/cr011005).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Global sea levels are rising and this change is expected to accelerate in the coming century due to anthropogenic global warming. Any rise in sea level promotes land loss, increased flooding and salinisation. The impacts of and possible responses to sea-level rise vary at the local and regional scale due to variation in local and regional factors. Policy responses to the human-enhanced greenhouse effect need to address these different dimensions of climate change, including the regional scale. Based on global reviews and analyses of relative vulnerability, 4 contrasting regions are selected and examined in more detail using local and national assessments. These regions are (1) Europe, (2) West Africa, (3) South, South-East and East Asia and (4) the Pacific Small Islands. Some potential impacts of sea-level rise are found to have strong regional dimensions and regional cooperation to foster mitigation approaches (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, hence, the magnitude of climate change) and adaptive solutions to climate change impacts would be beneficial. For instance, in South, South-East and East Asia subsiding megacities and questions about long-term deltaic management are common and challenging issues. The debate on mitigation and stabilisation of greenhouse forcing also requires information on regional impacts of different emission pathways. These results will be provided by integrated models, calibrated against national assessments

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Published date: 1998
Organisations: Energy & Climate Change Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 350873
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/350873
ISSN: 0936-577X
PURE UUID: fae01bc8-633a-4563-9f13-1b60014fe481
ORCID for R.J. Nicholls: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9715-1109

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Date deposited: 15 Apr 2013 10:55
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:18

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Contributors

Author: R.J. Nicholls ORCID iD
Author: N. Mimura

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