Cyprus, an island country in the Mediterranean, is renowned for its sparkling white-sand beaches and turquoise waters. But those beaches are at risk of disappearing within mere decades.
What's happening?
Cyprus Mail reported on the alarming news, quoting Cypriot scientist Dr. Giorgos Zittis from the nonprofit research center the Cyprus Institute. "Sea level rise is expected to destroy around 50 per cent of Cyprus' beaches," he said.
Sea levels are rising for two primary reasons, per Climate.gov: melting glaciers and rising ocean temperatures. Due to global heating and increasing atmospheric temperatures, nearly 80% of glaciers worldwide have already melted or shrunk, according to National Geographic. Further, those rising temperatures cause the volume of the ocean itself to expand, pushing up sea levels even more.
Dr. Zittis said that even if pollution stopped today, temperatures in Cyprus would continue to climb for at least 20 years, the Mail reported.
"Cyprus and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, which is also a hot spot of climate change, are mainly affected by increasingly higher temperatures," he said.
Why are rising sea levels concerning?
For a place like Cyprus, these climate-fueled weather patterns are particularly threatening.
The Mail reported that the majority of Cyprus' critical infrastructure — such as "airports, shipping ports and power plants" — is located along the coast. Any damage to this would severely threaten residents who rely on this infrastructure to survive.
High temperatures will also put pressure on energy sources — leading to price increases — while also threatening many major industries and income streams, such as agriculture. The Mail has already covered how recent heat waves have been fatal for Cyprus residents in recent years. Additionally, for a place whose tourism industry relies heavily on beaches, these changes could spell disaster for the economy.
"Our summers may be too hot even for tourists," warned Dr. Zittis.
This is an issue facing nearly every coastal community around the world. The United States has also seen unprecedented sea level rises, which are threatening to destroy entire coastlines, particularly in the southeastern U.S.
What's being done about this?
The Mail, paraphrasing Dr. Zittis, reported that if Cyprus does not "drastically cut" its planet-warming pollution within the next decade, these changes could be even more severe.
Efforts to curb pollution could include managing water use, converting buildings to be more energy efficient, and investing in clean energy sources.
"We are a bit behind," Dr. Zittis said. "There is room for improvement, for example in electricity generation, these efforts can be stepped up."
Cyprus may even have to look into changing how it advertises to tourists, in order to draw in visitors during cooler, safer times of year.
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