Environmental Risks

Takatorige, Toshio; Hirose, Yukio; Nagamatsu, Shingo

First was the risk of storm surge damage along the coastline caused by sea level rise. When warming melts glaciers and raises the sea surface temperature to cause thermal expansion of seawater, the sea level rises. This rise immediately impacts high risk of inundation along coastlines. In fact, it is estimated that if the sea level rises by 1 m around Japan, the number of people living in sub-zero areas of average tide levels will double from two million to 4.2 million. Many lowlands are protected by levees; however, sea level rises will raise the latent risk of storm surge and tsunami attacks. The rise of the sea level is said to affect the ecosystem as well. When the sea level rises, seawater invades further upstream the rivers and expands the brackish water areas. Fish and shellfish change their habitat with the change of water environment, and there is the risk that fishermen's livings will be affected.