Oil shipment and port infrastructures at risk due to rising sea levels
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A report by China Water Risk (CWR) revealed, “instead of providing energy security, oil now threatens it.” It says melting ice and swelling seas caused by rising temperatures could “unleash unstoppable multi-metre (sea level rise) which will sink key oil ports and disrupt global oil trade and swamp coastal refineries and petrochemical facilities.”
Researchers informed Reuters that rising sea levels could disrupt crude oil shipments and erode energy security in various import-dependent countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan. Many of the world’s biggest terminals are now vulnerable to flooding.
After conducting a stress-test of the maritime infrastructure used to export and import crude oil, CWR said low-lying ports and bunkering facilities would be more vulnerable to higher sea levels.
Read more: Study reveals alarming rates of subsidence in China’s major cities
According to the report, 12 out of 15 tanker terminals are at risk due to a rise in sea level just by one meter. Five of them are based in Asia. The report highlighted that Asian countries are likely to be hit the hardest, establishing their need to lead the global transition from oil and improve the resilience of port infrastructure.
“The infrastructure risks highlighted in our report offer unique investment opportunities,” Debra Tan, CWR director and lead author, told Reuters.
She added, “We must capitalise on them and wean ourselves off oil: far from providing energy security, our oil habit could sink all our futures.”
The report warned that if temperature rises were not kept within the key threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the sea level could reach three meters, thus increasing the risk to port infrastructure.
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