A tree leans at an eroded riverbank on the southern part of Ghoramara Island in the Sundarbans, West Bengal, India, May 18, 2024. Situated 150 kilometres (around 94 miles) south of Kolkata, media has dubbed Ghoramara the 'sinking island'. It has lost nearly half of its area to soil erosion in the last two decades and could completely disappear within a few more decades.
Debris from homes destroyed by rising sea levels and coastal erosion associated with climate change is seen through a hole in a wall. Some homes have already been submerged, but the walls of others still stand out as proof that there used to be a fishing village where some 700 people lived.
When #SeaLevelRise touches septic tanks, communities are in deep doo-doo.
"In 1999, with evidence that water quality was deteriorating along parts of the #Florida Keys, the state mandated that the island chain eliminate the use of tens of thousands of #SepticTanks and other outdated waste systems. The cost reached roughly $1 billion as Monroe County built centralized sewage and hooked up thousands of homes and businesses.
"#Mangroves are threatened by deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction, but the risk to these ecosystems is increasing due to #SeaLevelRise and the increased frequency of severe storms associated with climate change. #ClimateChange threatens one third (33%) of the mangrove ecosystems assessed."
Conservation efforts are a good investment:
"Paying local residents to plant #mangroves has raised incomes, increased fishery output, protected coastal areas, and contributed to efforts to mitigate #ClimateChange."
#RioDeJaneiro bay reforestation shows mangroves’ power to mitigate climate disasters
"Natural vegetation like that of Guapimirim “is like a true sponge,” avoiding or mitigating floods by reducing the energy of the waters, Mauricio Barbosa Muniz said. Vegetation in the region safeguards 1 million residents in the city of Sao Goncalo, in Rio’s metropolitan region, and others."
"He said the faster rate of rising sea-level on #Bangladesh's coast will increase the vulnerability of coastal people and their livelihoods.
Salinity, coastal inundation, and storm surge height will increase. It could impact agriculture, food security, disaster management, health, drinking water supply, and coastal infrastructure.
The world's largest #mangrove forest and its ecosystem will be affected by rising sea-level and salinity."
"Generally, the city envisions a response that resembles a long jigsaw puzzle: small and varied projects that lock together to form one continuous flood barrier. All together, the projects would cost several billion dollars."
"Satellites equipped with radar or specialised sensors can measure the height and structure of forests... Satellite images can also help engage local people in restoration efforts and... help scientists map changes along the coast and assess how vulnerable mangroves might be."