How does climate change affect coastal areas?

Explore climate impacts & national and local adaptation plans in Thailand

November 12, 2024

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: From Disasters to Ocean Crisis

Climate risks

Impacts

Sea level rise

Global temperature is increasing.

More polar ice mass melts in each year.

Stronger storm surges

Deadly natural disasters (floods, coastal erosion, landslides)

The oceans have risen by almost 23cm since the late 19th century.

Ocean warming

The ocean absorbs over 90% of the heat from emissions.

Coral bleaching (coral mortality from marine heatwaves and acidification)

All coral reefs might be devastated by 2100.

Loss of marine biodiversity

Due to rising global temperature.

Migration of aquatic species towards cooler areas.

Degradation of coral reefs and mangroves

A warming of 1.5°C will destroy 70 - 90% of coral reefs.

A 2°C increase guarantees a nearly 100% coral loss.

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: South-East Asia’s Coastal Areas Are Vulnerable to Climate Change

Who is affected by ocean warming?

60 million people in fisheries and the aquaculture sector
680 million people in low-lying coastal areas
2 billion people in coastal megacities

Did you know Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions?

Many cities are in low-lying areas and threatened by sea level rise.

Cần Thơ, the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, may be permanently submerged by midcentury.

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: 24 Coastal Provinces Amid Climate Change

Thai Coastal Provinces If a climate roller coaster continues, those coastal provinces will be affected by various types of natural disasters.

6 provinces by the Andaman coastline
18 provinces by the Gulf coastline

If a climate roller coaster continues, those coastal provinces will be affected by various types of natural disasters.

Erratic rainfalls (increasingly heavy-light-frequent-delayed rainfalls)
Rise in sea level and temperature
Rise in ocean acidity level
Extreme weather
Loss of marine biodiversity

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: From Life at Home, Day-to-Day Life, to Life below Water

Human Settlement	Food Security	Economics
Residential areas and basic infrastructure suffer from long-term damages by storms, floods, and coastal erosion.	Rise in marine acidity level and sea surface temperature causes coral bleaching, degradation of marine resources, and reduced reproductive rates of marine life.	The ocean/coastal economy struggles with negative impacts from extreme weather, coastal erosion, and loss of marine biodiversity.

Fisheries, tourism, and agriculture sectors in coastal provinces are vulnerability hotspots due to their exposure to climate change.

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: Adapting and Building Resilience to Climate Change

Despite contributing less than 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, Thailand is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.

This is why Climate Change Adaptation is our call.

Climate change adaptation refers to actions that help reduce vulnerability to the current or expected impacts of climate change. Even in very positive scenarios in which we manage to significantly and swiftly cut greenhouse gas emissions, climate change will continue to impact our world for decades to come because of the energy already trapped in the system.

Local Climate Change Adaptation ➠ Planting Crop Varieties, Regenerative Agriculture, Improving Water Storage and Use, Managing Land to Reduce Wildfire Risks

National Climate Change Adaptation ➠ Adaptation Policies, Strengthening or Relocating Infrastructure from Coastal Areas, Insurance Mechanisms for Climate-Related Threats

Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

Actions that support healthy ecosystems, protect the environment, and benefit humans and biodiversity equally.
NbS are essential to climate change adaptation.

Examples of Nature-based Solutions in Climate Change Adaptation

Indonesia: A Microcredit system for mangrove planting. Mangrove forests act as a buffer against flooding and a protective shield for biodiversity.

The US: A bank restoration project provides flood prevention benefits and reduces flooding impacts on humans and animal habitats.

Netherlands: Spatial enlargement of a river improves river capacity and discharge rate, resulting in fewer floods.

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: How do 4 Thai Gulf provinces adapt to climate change?

4 Thai Gulf provinces apply nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change.

Rayong, Phetchaburi, Surat Thani, and Songkhla have joined the UNDP’s project “Increasing resilience to climate change impacts in marine and coastal areas along the Gulf of Thailand.”

A climate change adaptation plan is a compass that tells us where to go, and with whom, so that we can respond to changes without getting lost in climate uncertainties.

Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas: The Planet Will Survive Only When All Stakeholders Join Hands.

Climate change needs to be integrated into policy planning, measure development, budgeting, and goals across all sectors and multi-levels.

Source:

United Nations: How is climate change impacting the world’s ocean
UNDP Human Climate Horizons
UNDP: Climate Change Dictionary
UNDP: Solutions Snapshot of Nature-Based Solutions: Reinventing the Sphere of River Conservation, Malaysia
The “Increasing resilience to climate change impacts in marine and coastal areas along the Gulf of Thailand” project