Impacts of Man‐Induced Changes in Land Use and Climate Change on Living in Coastal and Deltaic Areas

Abstract

AbstractSea level rise due to climate change is presented as one of our biggest problems. The reality is quite different and generally insufficiently taken into account in decision‐making, although the facts are regularly highlighted in professional literature.Population growth in recent decades has been substantial, especially in emerging and least developed countries, where 85% of the world's population is living. Much of the growth takes place in urban areas, of which 80–90% is located in coastal and deltaic regions where sea level rise could play a role with respect to drainage and flood protection. In the majority of these areas there is subsidence, in extreme cases of 200 mm yr‾1. In such cases the impact of the current rate of sea level rise of 3.2 mm yr‾1, which implies 0.32 m per century, occurs within 2 years due to subsidence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gives a maximum figure for sea level rise of 0.98 m by 2100. A similar comparison as above shows that this would be reached in 5 years. Commonly, inadequate measures are taken to reduce the risk of flooding.Based on newly available data, trends and forecasts, the relevant aspects and their impacts are presented in this paper, together with a future outlook. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.