Sea Level Rise and Implications for Low Lying Islands, Coasts and Communities

Roderik van de Wal, Utrecht University, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, Michael Oppenheimer, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton, NJ, United States, Bruce Christopher Glavovic, Massey University, School of People, Environment and Planning, Palmeston North, New Zealand, Jochen Hinkel, Global Climate Forum, Berlin, Germany, Rongshuo Cai, Key Lab. of Global Change and Marine-Atmospheric Chemistry, Xiamen, China, Alex Magnan, University de la Rochelle, Paris, France, Rob DeConto, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States, Frederico Isla, Universidad Nacional de Mar Del Plata, Argentina, Tuhin Ghosh, Jadavpur University, India, Ben Marzeion, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, Amro Abd-Elgawad, Tourism Development Authority, Ministry of Tourism, Cairo, Egypt, Egypt, Benoit Meyssignac, CNES, LEGOS, Toulouse, France, John Hay, University of the South Pacific, Cook Islands, Zita Sebesvari, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan and Miguel Cifuentes-Jara, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Costa Rica
Abstract:
We present an assessment of past and future contributions to global, regional and extreme sea level changes, and the associated risk to low-lying islands, and response options and pathways to resilience as reported in the Special Report on Oceans, Cryosphere and Climate Change (2019), in particular the sea-level chapter. Background to the assessment and on-going developments on this topic are provided. In that way, we cover the field from observational changes, improved physical insights and projections to impacts and response options. We address the current acceleration of sea-level rise, the role of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and consequences for extreme sea level events during this century and beyond. Adaptation measures to protect coastal areas and reduce expected damages are discussed as well as governance challenges. Despite large uncertainties, we argue that effective response to sea level rise must include both mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and a flexible, comprehensive location-dependent approach to adaptation.
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