It’s no surprise that sea levels are on the rise around the world. Concern is also rising as a recent report found that more than three million Canadians are at risk for coastal flooding as a result of sea level rise by the turn of the century.
The study, conducted by insurance technology company MyChoice Financial Inc., identified some of the communities at greatest risk for coastal flooding through the year 2100—and the list includes some major cities.
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Projected Map Sea Level Rise By 2100
Climate change is forcing our world’s oceans to rise at a startling rate. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed in its 2023 State of the Global Climate that seas rose at a rate of 4.77 mm per year between 2014 and 2023. Current projections show Canada’s most significant rise occurring along the Atlantic seaboard.
The two main driving forces behind sea level rise include warming water temperatures and runoff from melting ice caps throughout the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
How much could that sea level rise affect Canadians in the coming decades?
Researchers with MyChoice analyzed data from Statistics Canada and the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health to calculate how many coastal residents are at risk for coastal flooding by the end of this century.
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A worst-case scenario would see sea levels rise by 125 cm along the coast of Metro Vancouver by the year 2100. Thousands of dwellings within 10 km of the coast here reside at 1 m in elevation or less. A sea level rise of this magnitude could potentially expose millions of people in the region to the risk for coastal flooding, especially when powerful windstorms affect the region.
Canada Cities Sea Level Rise By 2100
It’s a similar story back east, where more than one-and-a-half metres of sea level rise could pose a significant risk for coastal flooding throughout Halifax and its surrounding communities.
“Our study underscores the urgent need for Canadians, especially those in coastal areas, to be aware of the risks posed by rising sea levels,” said Matt Roberts, COO of MyChoice.
The release points out that meteorologists are already working to alert residents to the threat posed by coastal flooding throughout Canada.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) expanded its coastal flooding prediction and alerting program in the spring of 2024 to include all three coastlines, covering everyone from Victoria, B.C., to Yarmouth, N.S.
“This new program will allow our meteorologists to issue coastal flooding alerts and forecasts across most of the country, using both the probability and expected impact of an event,” ECCC said on its site. “These services will give early warning to emergency management organizations and Canadians about the risk of coastal flooding.”
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