According to the UN atlas, 44% of people live within 150 kilometres (93 miles) of the sea. W
What communities can do
- Beach clean ups
Campaigns
Why it matters
Environmental improtance
The coast and its adjacent areas on and off shore are an important part of a local ecosystem: the mixture of fresh water and salt water in estuaries provides many nutrients for marine life. Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals and insects crucial to the food chain.
The high level of biodiversity creates a high level of biological activity, which has attracted human activity for thousands of years. W
Sea level rise
Sea level rises can considerably influence human populations in coastal and island regions and natural environments like marine ecosystems. Sea level rise is expected to continue for centuries. Because of the slow inertia – long response time for parts of the climate system, it has been estimated that we are already committed to a sea-level rise of approximately 2.3 meters for each degree of temperature rise within the next 2,000 years. W
Resources
Citizens data initiative
Research shows that 634 million people - one tenth of the global population - live in coastal areas that lie within just ten metres above sea level. [1]
See also
- local information can be found, or shared, via our many location pages
- Climate action
Interwiki links
Wikipedia: Coasts, Coral reef, Sea level rise
External links
References
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- ↑ International Institute for Environment and Development, March 28 2007 link not found, June 2015