Climate change is having a profound and multifaceted impact on low-lying territories across the globe, posing significant challenges to their ecosystems, economies, and communities. These areas, which include coastal regions, river deltas, and islands, are particularly vulnerable due to their geographic characteristics and the increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related events.
In low-lying regions, climate change causes sea levels to rise due to melting ice caps and thermal expansion, posing a threat to coastal areas through flooding, displacement, and infrastructure damage. In 2017, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified Bangladesh, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone as the areas most at risk from rising sea levels. Severe weather events, such as hurricanes, cause flooding, erosion, and economic losses. Saltwater intrusion contaminates freshwater, affecting agriculture and food security, while the loss of wetlands and mangroves reduces storm protection. Economically, tourism, fisheries, and agriculture are vulnerable, with coral reefs at risk. Socially, displacement and health issues, including disease spread and heat-related illnesses, strain resources and exacerbate inequalities.
The rising sea level threat on the coastal zone of Sierra Leone
The rising sea level threat on the coastal zone of Sierra Leone is an increasingly pressing issue that poses significant risks to the environment, economy, and communities living in this West African nation. Sierra Leone, with its extensive coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. This area also includes the Islands of Plantain, Turtle, Shebrro and Yelibuya as well as many others. This particularly area is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which has been linked to rising sea levels.
As global temperatures rise, Sierra Leone’s coastal areas face increased flooding and erosion. Low-lying regions, where many population centers are located, are threatened by human activities like deforestation and unregulated coastal development, which disrupt natural protective barriers. This erosion endangers infrastructure and delicate ecosystems, including mangroves and coral reefs, vital habitats for marine species.
Rising sea levels threaten not only the environment but also the livelihoods of communities reliant on fishing and agriculture. Coastal inhabitants depend on these sectors for income and sustenance. Saltwater intrusion compromises agricultural productivity, leading to food insecurity and economic instability. Sierra Leone's fishing industry, vital to its economy, faces challenges as fish populations are affected by changing water conditions, impacting local communities. Displacement due to flooding and land loss increases migration to urban areas like Freetown, where infrastructure struggles with overcrowding, poverty, and competition for jobs and resources, perpetuating vulnerability.
The government of Sierra Leone, NGOs, and international partners are exploring strategies to address rising sea levels. These include integrated coastal zone management, mangrove restoration, and protective barriers for vulnerable communities. Raising awareness about climate change is crucial for fostering resilience and encouraging sustainable practices.
The Island of Yelibuya
Yelibuya, a small town/island in northwest Sierra Leone, is precariously situated on sandy, waterlogged land where the Great Scarcies River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Sparse mangroves grow here, and fresh food and water are imported. Everything, from the town's motorcycle to children's clothes, is covered in sticky sand. Yet, Yelibuya remains lively.
Home to about 5,000 people, the town lies between Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, and Conakry, Guinea's capital, serving as a crucial stop on a trade route. A significant portion of the country's fish and rice comes from the river. Due to poor roads, traders navigate turbulent waters in canoes to buy Yelibuya’s fish, trading it for cassava leaf, groundnut, clothing, and construction materials. However, living in the town is increasingly difficult as the island is slowly submerging.
Mangrove deforestation, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels cause annual flooding of homes. Residents build new homes on stilts to avoid waterlogged ground. Community elders estimate the ocean has encroached 300 meters inland over 30 years, with projections suggesting Yelibuya could be submerged in 20 years. Due to climate change, Sierra Leone is expected to face more frequent flooding and landslides, similar to the 2017 Freetown disaster with over 1,000 fatalities.
The United Nations Development Agency states West Africa is highly susceptible to climate change, ranking just after Pacific Island nations like the Maldives. Despite contributing only 0.02% of global carbon emissions, Sierra Leone will "severely bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change," with a nearly 1-degree Celsius temperature rise since the 1960s and a projected increase of 1 to 2.5 degrees by 2060.
Residents of Yelibuya are adapting to changes as the clinic and chief's house have been relocated inland near a shrinking mangrove forest. Despite being elevated, the clinic floods, and the chief's house is threatened by tides. The mangroves, vital against rising waters, are diminishing due to wood harvesting for fuel, risking future protection.
Life persists on the island, attracting those seeking economic opportunities. A bag of rice costs 110,000 leone (R258) in Sierra Leone but 325,000 leone (R737) in Conakry, Guinea, leading traders to favor profitable trade over safer inland living. Kelly Marah, deputy commander of a navy outpost, emphasizes the area's economic and military significance, managing a fleet against illegal foreign fishing that threatens local industry.
Sierra Leone serves as a "carbon sink," absorbing more carbon than it emits. Yelibuya could benefit from global climate-change funds to build schools and a clinic in Mahayla, encouraging relocation from the sinking town. These funds could also enhance development, infrastructure, and entrepreneurship. Ironically, the island relies on water while being inundated by it.
Conclusion
Rising sea levels are not an issue exclusive to Sierra Leone. Worldwide, sea levels are projected to increase between 0.6 and 1.3 meters by the century's end unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. The threat of rising sea levels to Sierra Leone's coastal areas is a complex problem involving environmental, economic, and social aspects. Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive approach that combines immediate response measures with long-term planning and community engagement to ensure the sustainability and resilience of coastal communities in the face of an uncertain future.
This dilemma brings to mind the story of the frog in a pot of water, where the temperature slowly increases, and the frog remains unaware, ultimately being boiled alive. It's unfortunate that countries like Sierra Leone and Bhutan, which contribute little to greenhouse gas emissions and are actively fighting global warming, often bear the brunt of climate change. Life, however, is rarely fair.
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