Underwater view

Director of UPEI climate research lab says some infrastructure in P.E.I. vulnerable to sea level rise

Rising sea levels could put at least 1,000 homes and cottages at risk, says the director of UPEI’s climate research lab.

Adam Fenech made the remarks recently when he was one of several climate change experts who made presentations in a webinar on sea level rise.

“I think the big message is let’s not build so darn close to the shore,” Fenech said.

The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, the Canadian Climate Forum and the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network hosted the event.

“I think the big message is let’s not build so darn close to the shore.” Adam Fenech

Fenech used the Coastal Impact Visualization Environment (CLIVE) tool during the webinar to demonstrate the impact rising sea levels could have on P.E.I.

The program lets users adjust the amount of sea level rise and then projects it on a map to show areas that would be under water.

During his presentation, Fenech listed some of the structures in P.E.I. that are vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change.

They included more than 1,000 residential building, 126 bridges, 17 lighthouses and one wind turbine.

From 1968-2010, P.E.I. had a net loss of about 20 square kilometres of land due to coastal erosion, Fenech said.

“Under those rates of erosion it’s going to take Prince Edward Island 10,000 years to disappear, but it is the most important part of P.E.I.”