Credit: SciTechDaily.comSea level increases might cost the EU and UK up to 872 billion Euros by 2100, showing a requirement for region-specific financial strategies.Damage triggered by sea level increases could cost the EU and UK economies up to 872 billion Euros in total by the end of the century, according to a modeling research study published today (January 18) in Scientific Reports.Ignasi Cortés Arbués, Theodoros Chatzivasileiadis, Tatiana Filatova, and colleagues designed the possible financial effects of sea level rises for 271 European areas by 2100 under a high emissions situation (SSP5-RCP8.5) with no new seaside protection steps executed after 2015. They likewise modeled the effect of targeted investment in various economic sectors on local economies following sea level rises.Economic Impact of Sea Level RiseThe authors estimate that under a high emissions scenario sea level rises could trigger 872 billion Euros of combined financial losses throughout the UK and EU by 2100, compared to a circumstance of no sea level increases. They observed local differences in the economic effects of sea level increases, with the majority of financial losses– up to 21% local gross domestic item (GDP) by 2100– concentrated in coastal areas such as Veneto and Emilia-Romagna in Italy and Zachodniopomorskie in Poland.Other areas that incurred relatively higher financial losses were focused around the Baltic Sea, the Belgian coast, western France, and Greece.
