Beware the tides of change
Areas of coastal cities could be lost to rising sea levels, new report warns
ABU DHABI // Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to the UAE’s coastal cities, according to a long-term forecast for climate change.
That could lead to 8 per cent of Ajman, 2 per cent of Sharjah, and up to 5.9 per cent of Umm Al Quwain being lost to rising sea levels by 2100, said UAE Climate Change Risks and Resilience, a report published on Monday by Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF.
Artificial shorelines, islands and breakwaters could also be inundated.
About 85 per cent of the UAE population live in coastal areas.
“In Dubai, the urban area has almost tripled in less than two decades, with an artificial expansion of the city surface thanks to The Palm islands and the World archipelago projects, thus making the share of built environment potentially exposed to inundation,” said the report.
Other than the residential and hotel complexes along the coast, much of the industrial sector, including energy companies, is built near the coast and could be hit by rising sea levels that result from melting polar ice caps.
Businesses and factories along the coast may also face more frequent floodings.
“The proximity to the water could cause direct damage to the facilities, or even create scenarios where the factories are unable to operate due to system failures or the inaccessibility of workers along the coast,” said the report. Thousands of hectares of coastal land, covered in mangroves, are already under threat. The mangroves provide habitats for dozens of fish species and safe nesting for birds. They also protect shorelines against erosion by waves and trap carbon from the atmosphere.
Stable sea levels are necessary for mangroves to remain safe havens for animal species.
“Climate change has effects on many environmental resources which constitute important assets for the UAE tourism sector, such as its biodiversity and landscape,” the report said.
“The UAE offers its visitors a diverse ecological profile, including a long coastline, beaches, rich marine life, mountains, valleys, deserts and several natural reserves.” According to the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative, the capital’s coastal and marine environment contribute about US$141 million a year to the economy through industries such as tourism and fishing.
“However, any tourism based on the natural environment in Arab countries will be affected by climate change,” the report said. “These climate change impacts may also lead to the UAE being a less attractive place for expats to live and work.”
Thousands of hectares of coastal land, covered in mangroves, are already under threat