It could need a lot more of this to cool off in future.

It could need a lot more of this to cool off in future. | Gemma Andreu

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma20/08/2015 00:00
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The World Wildlife Fund has warned that sea level could rise by up to 59 centimetres this century because of the effects of climate change. In so doing, the Spanish coastline would be at risk. The organisation, under its campaign "Not One Degree More", is studying the consequences of rising sea level and offering solutions to mitigate the effects.

The fund says that a rise of six centimetres by 2040 would mean a retreat of the coastline to the order of between one to two metres in the Canaries and Mediterranean. WWF stresses, of course, that these coastal areas are of high population densities and socio-economic significance because of tourism.

The organisation has highlighted data which indicate the benefits of the coasts: they create jobs and benefit the economy to the tune of 8,000 million euros per annum, 10% of GDP. The coastline is more than 8,000 kilometres in total, with 60% of the population - 23 million people - living by it.

"It is necessary to limit the average global temperature to 1.5C above that of pre-industrial times in order to avoid catastrophic impacts on vulnerable regions such as the Mediterranean. The temperature has risen by around one degree, and if we continue as we are, it will increase by four degrees."