Case Study: Climate Change and Dealing with Sea Level IncreaseRising sea levels have emerged as one of the major concerns in today’s world because of the increased devastating impacts of climate change or global warming. While increase in sea levels is expected to affect the whole world, some regions will be affected more than others. One of the regions that will be significantly affected by sea level increase in China based on a recent report from Climate Central. China is among one of the major Asian countries that has experienced tremendous economic growth over the past few years. The country is characterized by faster-growing coastal megacities and a population of more than 145 million people. Actually, these coastal cities account for approximately 70% of China’s big cities and 41% of her population (Chen, p.925). These coastal areas play a critical role in the country’s GDP and national industrial output where they account for 55% and 65% respectively.
The rising sea levels will have considerable impact on plants and animals in China, particularly humans. It’s estimated that sea level increase will affect approximately 145 million people as well as agricultural productivity through changes in rainfall, which will in turn negatively impact irrigation systems (Middlehurst...
Sea level increase will contribute to a coastal retreat of 300m annually in China and result in an average erosion of 25m yearly (Cai et al., p.416). Some of the plants that will be affected by sea level increase in China include tea, lychee, citrus and longgan whereas the affected habitat includes different bird species and freshwater habitats like water deer. Since the sea level increase is expected to affect a wider area and worsen, its relatively difficult for species to migrate or adapt to the new conditions. The ecosystems in these regions are coastal and marine ecosystems, which help in generating renewable energy and agricultural productivity. The greatest impacts of sea level increase on this region include increased coastal erosion, intensified flooding, and saltwater intrusion.
Protection Plan
Given the probable devastating impacts of sea level increase on China’s coastal regions, a protection plan that provides relevant mitigation methods and design is crucial towards preventing or lessening impacts. In light of the severity of the problem, long-term planning and up-to-date protection measures are essential towards preventing and lessening the impacts of sea level increase on China’s coastal regions.
Long-term planning…
