Rising sea levels driven by burning of fossil fuels will overwhelm oil ports, say analysts

Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world's biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.

- Damian Carrington

Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning was a major cause of the climate breakdown. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy.

Thirteen of the ports with the highest supertanker traffic will be seriously damaged by just 1 metre of sea level rise, the analysis found. The researchers said two low-lying ports in Saudi Arabia - Ras Tanura and Yanbu - were particularly vulnerable. Both are operated by Aramco, the Saudi state oil firm, and 98% of Saudi oil exports leave via these ports.

The oil ports of Houston and Galveston in the US, the world's biggest oil producer, are also on the list, as are ports in the United Arab Emirates, China, Singapore and the Netherlands.

The latest science published by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) shows 1 metre of sea level rise is now inevitable within a century or so and could come as early as 2070 if ice sheets collapse and emissions are not curbed. An even more catastrophic rise of 3 metres is probably inevitable in the next two millennia and could arrive as soon as the early 2100s.