Regional issues raised by sea-level rise and their policy implications

Global sea levels are rising and this change is expected to accelerate in t he coming century due to anthropogenic global warming. Any rise in sea leve l promotes land loss, increased flooding and salinisation. The impacts of a nd possible responses to sea-level rise vary at the local and regional scal e due to variation in local and regional factors. Policy responses to the h uman-enhanced greenhouse effect need to address these different dimensions of climate change, including the regional scale. Based on global reviews an d analyses of relative vulnerability, 4 contrasting regions are selected an d examined in more detail using local and national assessments. These regio ns are (1) Europe, (2) West Africa, (3) South, South-East and East Asia and (4) the Pacific Small Islands. Some potential impacts of sea-level rise ar e found to have strong regional dimensions and regional cooperation to fost er mitigation approaches (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, hence, th e magnitude of climate change) and adaptive solutions to climate change imp acts would be beneficial. For instance, in South, South-East and East Asia subsiding megacities and questions about long-term deltaic management are c ommon and challenging issues. The debate on mitigation and stabilisation of greenhouse forcing also requires information on regional impacts of differ ent emission pathways. These results will be provided by integrated models, calibrated against national assessments.