Sooner or later the effects of global warming will reach our shores. Have you ever wondered what Barcelona will look like with rising sea levels? We tell you the opinion of the scientific community that says that the thaw will come.
The claim comes from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and scientific journals such as Climate Atmospheric Science.
All agree that it is undeniable that the devastating effects will reach the coasts of our city.
The speed at which the effects of rising sea levels and the extent of the devastation will be felt depends on whether global warming increases dramatically or whether the Paris Agreement is achieved.
Possible scenarios
According to IPCC data from 2019, a 43-centimeter increase in sea level is predicted for the year 2100 provided the Paris Agreement is fulfilled (optimistic scenario).
However, the most complete scenario is the one that estimates that the sea level will rise between 84 centimeters and 1 meter.
In 2020, 100 experts from the journal Climate Atmospheric Science published new projections to update those of the IPCC.
According to this latest study, by the year 2100 the oceans could rise by 1.3 meters if the Earth’s surface warms by an additional 3.5 degrees.
The next scenario is for the year 2300 where the sea level could rise up to five meters causing a total melting of the poles.
NASA map and Spanish coasts: this is what Barcelona will look like as sea level rises
In August last year, NASA released a map of the world on how the coastline on each continent would be transformed by sea level rise. The consequences are irreversible.
As for the situation in Spain, the map indicates that sea level rise will occur in all coastal cities, in some cities more than others.
For the least extreme scenario, it is estimated that in 2050 the sea level in Cadiz and Barcelona would rise by 24 cm and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 26 cm. By 2060, in Cadiz it will have risen by 26 cm, in Barcelona by 29 cm and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 31 cm.
But the water will not stop rising. By 2080, a minimum sea level rise of 40 cm is expected for these three cities.
In others, such as A Coruña and Santander, the increase would exceed 45 cm. Cities such as Valencia, Vigo, Huelva, Arrecife, Palma de Mallorca, among others, will also be affected by the same situation.
For the world, the outlook is not very encouraging, as there is no way to reverse the damage.
