Coastal communities around the world are threatened when the temperature of the planet rises, ice melts and sea levels rise.
The coast along the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa is among the places most exposed if sea levels continue to rise.
Pictures from Senegal in Africa show how entire neighborhoods disappear as sea levels rise.
FRAMED: Several houses, schools and mosques have been destroyed by the sea along the coast of Senegal. Photo: Leo Correa / AP
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Surrounded by water
Saint-Louis, in the north of Senegal, is one of the places that can be hard hit by climate change. The city is home to over 250,000 people, and the highest point is only four meters above sea level.
The sea that creeps inland “eats up” the houses along the coast. Sometimes the waves crash in through the windows of residents lying and sleeping, according to Washington Post.
The Senegal River, which flows through large parts of the country, empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Saint-Louis. The city consists of an island and a peninsula, surrounded by both salt water from the sea and fresh water from the Senegal River. Already, waves have destroyed schools, mosques and homes.
THREATENED: Houses between the Senegal River and the Atlantic Ocean in Saint-Louis are seriously threatened if sea levels rise. Photo: Leo Correa / AP
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Increase of four millimeters annually
The UN estimates, according to the Washington Post, that 200 million could be affected by floods and sea level rise by 2050. It is particularly critical that the problem is expected for West Africa, where 80 percent of the population lives along the Atlantic coast.
Sea levels along the coast of West Africa are expected to rise by up to four millimeters per year. This is slightly above the global average.
During this year’s climate summit in Glasgow, the former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, presented a prayer to the world leaders to commit to emission cuts, and limit heating. The Maldives is also very vulnerable if sea levels continue to rise.
DESTROYED: A young boy runs through what was once a fish market. Now it is destroyed as a result of rising sea levels. Photo: John Wessels / AFP
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This year’s climate summit, also called COP26, was launched at the end of October and brought together 25,000 politicians and activists from around the world to discuss climate.
Forced to move
In Saint-Louis, local officials have warned that fifteen thousand people will have to relocate in the coming years. More than 1,500 people have already been relocated to camps further inland.
One of the main industries in Saint-Louis is fishing. Many local fishermen have been forced to move away from the sea and families have exchanged beach houses that have been passed down through the family for generations, for small, cramped cabins in camps inland.
BLUE ROOF: You will be moved to this camp if you have lost your house on the coast of Saint-Louis. Photo: Leo Correa / AP
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The Glasgow Summit
Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, 194 countries committed themselves to trying to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees. The UN Climate Panel was then tasked with investigating what a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees would mean. The conclusion was that there is a significantly smaller extent of damage with a 1.5 guard increase compared to 2 degrees.
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A 1.5 degree increase will still lead to rising sea levels, more extreme weather and the like, but there will be a significant difference from an increase of 2 degrees.
According to FN is the climate summit successful if the parties at the meeting can prepare a clear and credible plan that can prevent a further increase than 1.5 degrees.
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