Antarctica is melting faster than expected. An escalation that may push us to make the changes we need to thrive in an increasingly warm world, and to protect coastal cities.
The Antarctic ice sheet is melting faster than expected, and sea levels around the world could rise by 1.5–2 metres by the end of the century — twice as much as previously estimated. Among other consequences, this would cause the forced displacement of 45 million people from Chinese coastal cities and submerge major Australian cities.
Several areas of Miami and Manhattan, in the United States, sit less than two metres above sea level, and the state of New Orleans is only slightly above that. Indeed, many of the lower-lying neighbourhoods in cities along the American East Coast would feel the impact of rising sea levels. And very often the areas most at risk of flooding are home to low-income communities that cannot afford the cost of insurance or renovation. Cities should take the lead in protecting their residents.
Immediate action aimed at halting greenhouse gas emissions and slowing climate change remains important, and the commitments made by countries and cities at Cop 21 in Paris represent a significant step in that direction.
Regardless of what we do from now on, the climate is changing as never before, and for this reason we must learn to adapt. Cities in particular must learn to use nature to protect homes and buildings. Floodplains, mangrove forests, coral reefs, salt marshes and oysters are among the solutions that can help reduce the impact of rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
In Miami, the environmental organisation Nature Conservancy has announced a partnership with an engineering firm with the aim of developing new strategies to use nature to protect residents from rising sea levels. "Miami-Dade County is one of the most economically vulnerable places in the world. With $345 billion in assets and 2.6 million people at risk from flooding and sea level rise, decisive action must be taken to keep this area safe," said Kathy McLeod, director of the division dealing with coastal resilience.
In New York City, world-renowned architect Bjarke Ingalls is working with city politicians and federal funding to design the Dryline: a series of parks, cycle paths and earthworks encircling the Lower Manhattan neighbourhood. This would create new green spaces for city residents and protect the neighbourhood from flooding on a par with that caused by Hurricane Sandy, which cost the city $20 billion in 2012. The city "would not turn its back on the water, but would embrace it," Ingalls told the Guardian.
This is the city of the future. A place where all residents live in green, safe neighbourhoods, suited to raising a family and living well. Our goal should be the creation of a society in which we can adapt to and manage the changes under way by working not against nature, but alongside it.
Translated by Camilla Soldati