How strongly does the rise of the sea level affect the people on the German coasts? This deals with a new, previously unpublished development of the scientific service of the Bundestag. She is SPIEGEL.
The 19-page paper states that those areas on the North Sea that are no higher than five meters above sea level are considered to be potentially at risk of flooding. Accordingly, areas on the Baltic coast would be affected up to three meters above sea level. According to the study, around 3.2 million people live in these offshore sections. How the coastline changes according to the extent of the sea level rise, this map reveals.
Germany's coastal countries have invested millions in dike construction in recent years. The measures are not complete. And they are expensive: One kilometer increase in dike construction costs, according to information from Schleswig-Holstein between three and four million euros, and the maintenance is costly.
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On the coasts, some new "super dikes" are created, which have a much wider base and a lower slope on the sides. They should take waves particularly effectively the strength and in the future easily replenish, if necessary. How much the dikes will be increased depends on the state. In Schleswig-Holstein is built so that the safety reserve is doubled to half a meter. In Hamburg, the protective structures will be increased by 80 centimeters in the coming years on average.
Basically, the numbers in the Bundestag draft are not new, the paper is above all a look into the existing literature. It brings together German and European and global perspectives. Globally, according to the report, some 200 million people currently live on coasts only five meters or less above sea level. This figure is expected to rise to an estimated 400 to 500 million people by the end of this century.
Without coastal protection, it is estimated that with global sea-level rise of 0.5 to 2 meters by 2100, some 72 to 187 million people will be affected by land losses. For Europe, the estimate is that a sea-level rise of one meter would affect about 13 million people.
"The numbers are frightening," commented Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock. "The climate crisis is intensifying, and it has arrived here as well, so in order to live up to our responsibility towards future generations, the federal government must finally campaign for more ambitious energy and climate goals instead of slowing them down."
In the video: Before us the deluge - Threat of flood
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