[imagesource:wikicommons]

According to a recent study by Hawaiianislands.com, based on European Commission data estimating global shoreline changes, Blouberg Beach has been identified as one of nine African beaches most at risk of losing shoreline due to rising ocean levels.

Laurika Rauch’s favourite beach is predicted to lose close to 112 metres of shoreline by 2100 as climate change begins its slow drowning of worldwide coastal areas.

Ranked as the ninth most at-risk tourist beach in Africa, Blouberg Beach’s loss will be more impactful than just losing some sand for the Gautengers to bathe on. These coastlines are crucial for biodiversity and are home to many species of turtles, shellfish, and birds.

Indeed the oceans and beaches are more than just pretty Instagram backgrounds and play a vital part in agriculture and infrastructure development, so it’s not just the wildlife that will suffer. The threat posed by rising sea levels and erosion is not limited to Blouberg Beach alone. The study also identified other tourist beaches at risk around the world.

Landmark Beach in Lagos, Nigeria, is projected to lose a staggering 918.3 meters of shoreline by 2100, surpassing all other tourist beaches in the world. Playa Akumal in Cancún, Mexico, faces a loss of 265.9 meters, making it the most at-risk beach in North America.

Whilst 2100 seems to be a long way off, this is not just our grandkids’ problem and requires immediate action. Lucky, or unlucky, for us this is an issue that faces both poor and rich nations.

Miami Beach, for instance, is raising its roads by two feet at a cost of roughly $2 million (R36 million) per block, and Norfolk in the UK recently spent $34,5 million (R620 million) to engineer a beach to reduce flooding.

Natural structures such as barrier islands, oyster and coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and salt marshes, along with built infrastructure, such as seawalls are also being employed to guard against rising sea levels. These projects are often cheaper than waiting until the water laps at your beach house front door.

The lack of immediate action will result in more than just the inconvenience of kite surfers having to launch from the parking lot next to Blouberg Beach.

In the last five years, sea levels have risen 66% faster than the historical rate, and are now rising by an average of 2,5cm every five years. While it took 60 years for the sea level to rise about 15cm, scientists forecast that in just the next 20 years, the sea will have risen by another 25cm.

It’s not a ‘tomorrow problem’ anymore.

[source:capetownetc&hawaiinislands.com&sealevelrise.org]