Friday, May 09, 2008

City prepares for global warming and rising sea levels.

By Henry Booysen
09 May 2008

The city of Cape Town is gearing up for global warming and rising sea levels after an in depth study of sea-level risk was done.

According to Councillor Brian Watkyns at a meeting of the Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee (PEPCO) councillors were presented with three different models as how changes in tidal movements and increased storm events may impact the rising sea levels and the mother city.

“The aim of the Sea-Level Rise Risk Assessment is to predict the ramifications of sea-level changes as a result of climate change on existing coastal systems,” says Watkyns.

Watkyns elaborates that because Cape Town has a coastline stretching 307 km which is the longest sea frontage of a metropolitan authority in South Africa, it has become vulnerable to the dangers of climate change.

Areas which are at highest risk in Cape Town are because they are situates in low lying areas are Milnerton Lagoon, Fish Hoek, Strand, Gordon’s Bay and Sea Point.

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