Storm and sea level rise are threatening to swallow man-made beaches in metropolitan Barcelona. It is driven by climate change.
Swathes of coastline is being eroded every year. And man-made beaches erode faster than natural coastline.
The worrying trend is showing no signs of stopping. The human coexistence with sea is in danger.
Montgat, the fishertown cum summer resort is no stranger to change. Once fishing was the principal activity in the marshlands, north of Barcelona.
But things changed after this Spanish city was named as the host of 1992 Olympics. Several new beaches were built where there were just thin beaches, rocks and breakwater.
These helped the city to turn itself into one of Europe’s tourist hotspots. Post the beaches going under water, the authorities have responded by replacing hot sands and building new breakwaters.
But the endeavour has not kept space in keeping with the coastline erosion and driving the sea level rise.
Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent. The temprature is rising twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s.
At Montgat, and nearby beaches the main damage occurs in fall and winter when destructive weather system known by the Spanish acronym DANA bring powerful storms to southern Europe.
In 2024 waves as high as 16 feet left parts of Montgat without s beach. Later a few lines of rocks serving as breakwaters were built as the waves reached a line of beachfront houses.
