Even if the Environmental Protection Agency could afford to implement coastal protection measures everywhere, coastal protection measures cannot safeguard all communities, according to scientists.
The head of England’s Environment Agency (EA) has warned that climate change will “inevitably” compel some British coastal communities to abandon their homes.
Sir James Bevan, the chief executive officer of the EA, stated that “some of our communities cannot remain in their current locations” due to climate change.
Tuesday addressing the Flood and Coast Conference in Telford, he stated, “While we may return safely and rebuild after the majority of river flooding, there is no return for the territory that has been lost to coastal erosion or that a rising sea level has permanently or often submerged.”
This, according to Sir James, necessitates “relocating towns away from risk rather than attempting to shield them from the unavoidable consequences of a rising sea level.”
Although he stated that it is “far too early to determine which settlements are likely to evacuate in the future,” the Welsh village of Fairbourne has already been notified that it must relocate because Gwynedd Council cannot continue to maintain flood defenses indefinitely.
As a result of drainage, a portion of the low-lying Fens in eastern England, which account for 7 percent of England’s agricultural output, is already below sea level.
Sir James promised that “no one should be forcibly evicted from their homes,” but added that “we must begin the conversation about all of this immediately.
Jim Hall, a professor of climate and environmental issues at Oxford University, applauded the acceptance of Sir James’ “hardest of all unpalatable truths.”
“Even if the Environment Agency could afford to build coast protection everywhere – which they cannot – the things that many people love about the coast, such as beaches and dunes, will eventually be submerged if we don’t begin planning now for how the coastline can adapt to rising sea levels,” he said.
He advocated “honest dialogues” about the future within coastal communities and a systematic strategy to manage the coast responsibly.
By 2100, one million Britons will be at risk from coastal floods.
According to the EA’s new Flood and Coastal Erosion, Risk Management Strategy Roadmap to 2026, one in six English residents is vulnerable to rain or sea flooding.
By the end of this century, an estimated one million individuals in the United Kingdom will be exposed to annual coastal flooding.
Sir James recalled the floods that occurred in London last summer, which resulted in the closure of public transportation, the evacuation of hospitals, and the displacement of residents.
“The severity of these flood episodes appears to be increasing, exactly as predicted by science,” he cautioned.
Other climate experts applauded Sir James’s remarks and cautioned that sea levels will continue to rise, in some regions beyond human capacity to adapt.
Professor Robert Nicholls, head of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, referred to it as “timely government recognition of a big concern that has been foreseen for some time but has been easier to dismiss because it is only gradually becoming evident.”
Professor of catastrophes and health at University College London Ilan Kelman stated that abandoning a community is “devastating” but “nothing new for England and Wales.
A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – an international group of climate scientists affiliated with the United Nations – predicted that coastal flood damage in Europe will increase at least tenfold by the end of this century, and even more so if we do not alter how people live in these areas.
In response, the EA aims to improve flood risk assessments and mapping, as well as investment decision data.
It is also investing £150 million in 25 new creative projects to combat flooding and coastal change.
