Most of the docks and piers of the ports of Ibiza and La Savina on Formentera, will be inoperative or flooded in the worst long-term scenario, between 2081 and 2100, as a result of the effects of climate change with the foreseeable rise in sea level.
This is one of the conclusions of a study prepared by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) commissioned by the Port Authority (APB), which has served as the basis for the ‘Adaptation Plan to Climate Change for Ports of General Interest of the Balearic Islands’, which was presented yesterday in Palma and aims precisely to mitigate these effects.
The study concludes that the rise in sea level as a result of climate change could render some port infrastructures inoperative. The study concludes that sea levels rising as a result of climate change could render some port infrastructures inoperative, such as docks and piers, and affect the stability of some dykes due to storms with larger and more frequent waves, and presents an adaptation plan for ports with proposed adaptation measures to prevent possible risks.
UPC professors Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla and Joan Pau Sierra explained in Palma that the plan for the ports of general interest of the Balearic Islands contemplates two climate scenarios: a moderate and a pessimistic one.
The first assumes that awareness of the effects of climate change will grow and active policies will be adopted at the international level to reduce emissions. It is the most plausible scenario if international pacts such as the Paris Agreement (2015) are implemented.
The worst-case scenario may occur if some of the major emitting countries do not adopt aggressive climate change mitigation policies or if they continue actions that accelerate climate change.
Short and long-term climate change scenarios
Both options have been compared with two time variables, one in the short to medium term (2026-2045) and the other in the long term (2081-2100).
The APB explained after the presentation of the report and in a telephone conversation, that the plan to mitigate these effects includes a follow-up of the evolution of climate change in the in the port areas, which will also be supported by the monitoring that, for some years now, has been carried out by the port agency of its facilities, to see how they behave.
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