But of course!
Climate change prompts safety fear
CLIMATE change is making Plymouth’s beaches more dangerous, experts have warned.
Increasing risk of rip tides have prompted safety fears as climate change alters the landscape.
It comes the week after lifeguard cover on some beaches ended following the summer season.
On several occasions in recent months, lifeguard teams worked extra hours because bathers and surfers got into trouble in strong sea conditions.
The extra workload was due in part to last winter’s storms, which eroded cliffs and sand dunes and changed the coastal environment.
Winter storms have shifted millions of tonnes of sand and rock and in several areas this has led to new and strong rip currents, which sweep swimmers away from the beach and out to sea.
Got that? Strong winter storms (which never happened prior to the use of fossil fuels) are caused by too much heat, which changes the coastal environment (which, again, never happened before the use of fossil fuels) which causes rip tides.
Sensitive isn’t it? 0.7 deg temperature increase over 160 years, with no change in the past 18 years, and suddenly we have more rips? Let’s see some evidence that this is any different to 100 years ago.