Map of the Week – Climate change and coastal erosion
The Bonn Climate Change Conference took place from 6 to 16 June 2022. Its objective was to make progress on important technical issues and prepare decisions for adoption at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh next November. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said: “While much work remains, Parties have made progress in several technical areas here in Bonn. Such steps are a key part of negotiations and important to achieve our overall goals. The world is moving closer to an overall shift towards implementation of the Paris Agreement. Major political decisions, notably on finance for Loss and Damage, need to be taken at COP27. We now need to ensure that Sharm el-Sheikh will truly be the place where important promises of the Paris Agreement are turned into reality.” [1]
Did you know that several map layers in the European Atlas of the Seas provide information related to the impacts of climate change on the ocean? This includes, for example, global sea surface temperature regional trend, global mean sea level regional trend and predicted climate change impact on the Atlantic cod habitat. The Map of the Week shows changes in the shoreline (land-sea interface). This identifies areas of landward migration (erosion or submergence), stability, and seaward migration (accretion or emergence) at different spatial scales. The shoreline is continuously shaped by wind, waves, tides, and human influence. Shoreline change is strongly influenced by climate change. Coastal erosion in particular is exacerbated by global sea-level rise, which will put Europe’s shorelines – and others around the world – at increasing risk in the coming years. Knowing how, and at what rate, our coasts are changing is a crucial step to their sustainable management, supporting knowledge-based decision-making and thus underpinning the European Union Strategy on adaptation to climate change. [2]
Are you a teacher? Interested in contributing with your students to the development of an educational map around climate change and environmental sustainability in the European Atlas of the Seas, for use in classrooms and educational activities? If so, make sure you read about the new challenge of the Education for Climate Coalition titled ‘Be a scientist! Mapping climate change at seas & waterways’ and join us for a virtual boat race on 21 June!
The data in this map are provided by EMODnet.
[1] https://unfccc.int/news/bonn-climate-change-conference-makes-progress-in-several-technical-areas-but-much-work-remains
[2] https://www.emodnet-geology.eu/data-products/coastal-behavior/