Rising levels: Super levees to protect coasts of Germany - Spiegel Online

Husum / Hanover – The warning from the experts was still fairly moderate: In the presented on Friday summary of the new UN world climate report says that global sea level could rise by an average of 26-81 inches by the end of the century. That would be – because the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are taken into account for the first time – a little more than predicted in the last report of 2007

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However, the values ??would still be far more extreme scenarios, which also hold an increase of 1.20 or even 1.50 meters in this century is possible. And then even more clearly. “Sea level rise will not stop in 2100, this is a long term issue,” warned IPCC author John Church of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia.

, the Chinese Qin Dahe, one of the co-chairs of the IPCC “While heating the oceans and melting glaciers and ice sheets, global sea level will continue to rise, but faster than we have seen in the last 40 years” (IPCC). “The IPCC report allows for this possibility of a higher rise, there is no explicit limit,” said Anders Levermann from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, lead author of the IPCC report, see sea level.

“dikes in good to very good condition”

coast guards such statements are difficult. You must decide how strong the levees must be raised exactly – and each additional centimeter costs millions. At least, so says the experts for this winter, are Germany’s coastal winter. The dikes along the North and Baltic Sea would the winter storms and storm surges probably defy the “Blanker Hans” would stay out.

“In general, were the levees in recent years, in good to very good condition,” the director of the State Office of Coastal Protection and Sea National Park Schleswig-Holstein, John Oelerich said. Ensure that this remains so in future, currently some old dikes are replaced by super levees in the country. And Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania equip themselves against the threat from the sea.

The rise of the sea level was in the past hundred years to 20 centimeters. The know the coast guards of the old records water levels. But as I said: The forecast for the next one hundred years are extremely difficult. So act like? Schleswig-Holstein dike guards have meanwhile opted for a “Climate Award” of 50 centimeters. This applies uniformly to all land protection dikes along the North and Baltic Sea, and on the Elbe Estuary.

Overall still 93 km dike sections must be reinforced in Schleswig-Holstein, is defined as in the Coastal Protection Master Plan of 2012. Kiel has earmarked a total of EUR 66.8 million for coastal protection this year. As large measures were beyond the dike reinforcements in Büsum and on North beach and sand nourishments of Sylt Sylt regular at.

researcher calls “protection against 1.20 or 1.50 meters”

The other northerners toil. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern invested, according to the Ministry of Environment about 18.5 million euros a year to get the total of 2000 kilometers of coastline and strengthened. There is considerable need for action, said Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD). More than 1000 kilometers of coastline are considered potentially at risk from flooding. 2020 protection measures totaling 120 million euros are planned, it said.

Lower Saxony are the conservation projects largely in the plan, it said by the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN). In 2013 this 72 million euro were provided. Only 12 million euros should be installed for the protection of offshore East Frisian Islands. Almost 50 million euros were meant for the main dike associations with emphasis on Jade Bay and on the lower Weser.

long term, however, are likely to significantly increase investments necessary. “When you do not go out of dyke construction of a flood probability of 33 percent a century and a corresponding risk flooding the city,” says researcher Lever man. Therefore we build the levees according to a limit – and I need it “protects against 1.20 or 1.50 meter sea level rise.” The rich then until the year 2100.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) wants to ensure that the climate change negotiations at the forthcoming coalition is a prominent theme claims to be. “I assume that the climate in the upcoming government education plays an important role and that we will anchor a new chapter in the coalition agreement, in which we discuss the major challenges,” Altmaier said on Friday.

The need for a change of course Altmaier but not seen. The report “confirms the previous policy of the Federal Government and the governments of its predecessors,” the CDU politician said. Germany had in the past “done everything to an international pioneer” to be on climate change.