Sea level rise
At 307 km in length, Cape Town has the longest stretch of coastline of any municipality in South Africa. Sea level rise is one of the effects of climate change that puts our coastline under threat, along with increased erosion, localised flooding and damage to coastal infrastructure from high seas.
What causes sea level rise?
Sea level rise is caused mainly by two factors:
- Thermal expansion of the ocean due to warming seas
- Increase in volume of water due to the melting of ice from glaciers and ice sheets
Both of these effects result from rising global temperatures due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases trap heat in the atmosphere leading to a gradual increase in temperature. This in turn affects other systems including the ocean, glaciers and polar ice.
According to scientific studies, human industrial activities have caused an increase of appoximately 1 degree Celcius to the average global temperature.
Sea level rise projections
If emissions continue along their current trajectory, global warming is expected to reach 1,5 degrees Celcius between 2030 and 2050. As a result, climate change modelling predicts sea levels to continue rising throughout the 21st century.
By 2100, the global mean sea level (GMSL) could rise by approximately 43 cm, and in a worst case scenario by 85 cm.
Fish Hoek sea level rise mural
Drawing from a concept originally used by the City of Vancouver, local mural artist Claire Homewood of CareCreative worked collaboratively with students from Fish Hoek and Kommetjie to create a wall mural in Fish Hoek.
The mural depicts the projected sea level rise alongside the lifespan of a person born in 2020 and living to 2100. The mural project shows the real effects of sea level rise in a personal way and encourages us to act to mitigate climate change.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit: Margaret Stone.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit: Margaret Stone.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit: Liezl Hoffman.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit Margaret Stone.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit: Dirk Visser.
Fish Hoek sea level rise wall mural - Photo credit: Margaret Stone.
What can you do to help?
While
climate change might seem to be a huge problem that is beyond one person's ability to solve, if we act collectively we can make a difference. By making smart choices about limiting carbon emissions in our daily lives, we can reduce the emissions that end up in the atmosphere.
The main contributors to our carbon footprint include what we buy, how much we travel and how much waste we generate.
Tips on reducing your carbon footprint:
- Limit your consumption - buy only what you need and choose energy-efficient, low-emission or recyclable products. Try to repair before you replace.
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Reduce waste - avoid single-use or disposable packaging, razors, travel coffee mugs, etc.
Recycle or compost rather than sending it to landfill.
- Where possible, hold meetings online rather than physically travelling to meetings.
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Consider investing in a solar PV system to generate your own electricity or install a solar water heater to save on electricity.
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED lights as they save 80-90% on electricity.
- Turn off lights, heating and appliances when not in use to reduce energy consumption.
- Shop local and seasonal - transporting food is one of the greatest contributors to fuel and energy consumption.
- Keep air travel to a minimum.
What is the City doing about sea level rise?
We are adopting a number of strategies aimed at conserving our coast. These are listed below.
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