Global climate change has swelled the oceans lapping at Colombia’s shores, threatening a watery demise for coastal cities like Cartagena, Barranquilla and Buenaventura.
“The calculations are quite negative. If this rise in sea levels continues unchecked, it will cause the flooding of coastal cities. On the other hand, the warming of the ocean will raise the frequency of hurricanes that affect the Colombian coasts–this is something we’re already seeing,” the director of the Ocean Commission, captain Julián Augusto Reina told Caracol Radio.
Maritime authorities and environmental experts are studying flood scenarios in preparation for a sea level rise, while Colombia’s Institute for Hydrological, Meteorological and Environmental studies develops a plan to respond to the inevitable affects of global warming.