Alex Trelinski
UP to 71 beaches will disappear in the Balearic Islands by the end of the century if global warming is not reversed, according to a study by the Balearic’s Oceanographic Centre.
Mallorca would lose 25 beaches; 33 in Menorca; seven in Ibiza; and six in Formentera.
Environmental campaigners, Greenpeace, say the increase in temperatures brings a rise in sea levels, which, in turn, would cause beaches to erode by up to 20 centimetres per year.
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On that basis, 71 Balearic beaches would vanish and many more would see their sands cut by half.
Elvira Jimenez, head of campaigns for Greenpeace Spain, said the Balearic Islands are especially vulnerable compared to the rest of the country’s regions due to the amount of coastline.
It is all due, Jimenez explains, to a set of factors that are part of the current climate emergency.
These are combination of sea level rises, the appearance of weather phenomena, and the pollution and systematic mistreatment of the coast for decades.
Beyond the environmental changes, Jimenez says increased properties and hotels by beaches, as well as port activities and even fishing have contributed to the problem.
“This mistreatment of the coast is down to an excessive commitment to tourism, which is showing the effects today,” commented Jimenez.
Over solving the problem, the Greenpeace campaigner suggests reducing the effects of climate change by cutting emissions.
In addition, coastal regeneration is vital and Jimenez advocates turning the clock back by- in some cases- demolishing promenades or breakwaters that should not have been built.
