The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most
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The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most

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The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most

The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most

Sandy beaches comprise more than one-third of the world’s coastline —but nearly half of this could be gone by 2100.

This graphic by HawaiianIslands.com uses European Commission data that estimates how shorelines worldwide will change over the next decades.

How this Graphic Works

The source conducted an analysis using European Commission data, estimating global shoreline changes by 2100.

Utilizing this data, they calculated the average decrease or increase (in meters) for the shorelines of the 10 most-reviewed beaches in each country on TripAdvisor.

Subsequently, they identified the top 20 tourist beaches projected to experience the most significant reduction in size. The beach boundaries were delineated using the Google Maps API.

Beaches Shrinking by 2100

According to various research, climate change is the main cause of sea levels rising across the globe. In the 20th century alone, it’s estimated that the mean global sea level rose by 11-16 cm.

Typically, beaches might naturally shift inland in response to higher water levels. However, over the last few decades, beaches, caught between rising seas and structures such as buildings and roads, have found themselves with nowhere to go.

Landmark Beach in Lagos, Nigeria, is expected to be the worst hit by 2100, losing 918.3 m of shoreline due to rising sea levels.

Lagos is already suffering the severe impact of rising seas through increased flooding, water-borne disease, and declining water quality.

Beach Country Shoreline Shrinkage (2100P)
Landmark 🇳🇬 Nigeria918.3m
Mackenzie 🇨🇾 Cyprus660.9m
Spiaggia La Cinta 🇮🇹 Italy 514.2m
Costa do Sol 🇲🇿 Mozambique 453.4m
Kuakata Sea 🇧🇩 Bangladesh361.2m
Kabyar Wa🇲🇲 Myanmar351.7m
Entry of Elegushi🇳🇬 Nigeria 338.0m
Royal Comission Yanbu🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 336.2m
Simaisma North 🇶🇦 Qatar298.6m
Al Thakeera🇶🇦 Qatar278.9m
Akumal 🇲🇽 Mexico265.9m
Ngapali🇲🇲 Myanmar249.5m
Patenga Sea🇧🇩 Bangladesh245.8m
Morro Branco🇧🇷 Brazil224.6m
St. Brelade's Bay🇯🇪 Jersey213.6m
Cape Henlopen🇺🇸 U.S.204.7m
Veracruz🇵🇦 Panama202.4m
Dado🇮🇱 Israel 201.4m
Clearwater🇺🇸 U.S.193.4m
Blåvand🇩🇰 Denmark183.1m

Playa Akumal in Cancún, Mexico, is the North American tourist beach that is expected to shrink the most (265.9 m). Parts of the Quintana Roo coast, where Akumal is found, are already losing up to 4.9 m a year.

Meanwhile, Clearwater Beach in Longboat Key, Florida, is the American beach that is anticipated to shrink the most (193.4 m). Rising sea levels in Clearwater pose an additional concern since the local aquifers, critical for the water supply of millions, are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion.

What’s Causing Sea Levels to Rise?

Since the 1970s, the world has experienced an average temperature increase of 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade, as indicated by NASA research.

This global warming phenomenon has triggered the melting of polar ice caps, resulting in the loss of approximately 28 trillion tonnes of ice within a little over two decades.

Concurrently, global sea levels have escalated by an average of 34.6 mm during the same period.

In the face of the challenge, solutions such as creating dunes along the backshore of beaches, increasing shoreline setbacks, and planting submerged aquatic vegetation to reduce erosion have been studied to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Ranked: Top 15 Countries by Carbon Emissions

This graphic is a revamped look at the top 15 countries by carbon emissions in 2023, visually comparing them to each other for better insights.

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This cropped graphic compares the top 15 countries by carbon emissions in 2023.

Ranked: Top 15 Countries by Carbon Emissions in 2023

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • China ranks first by a large margin in the list of top countries by carbon emissions in 2023.
  • It accounts for nearly one-third of global carbon emissions at 15.9 GtCO₂e in 2023.
  • But this also reflects China’s extensive manufacturing industry that produces much of the world’s goods.

Despite countries pivoting and investing in clean energy sources in the last decade, global greenhouse gas emissions still hit new highs in 2023.

This infographic ranks the top 15 countries by carbon emissions, based on 2023 data from The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research. It shows national-level greenhouse gas emissions in gigatonnes of CO₂ equivalent (GtCO₂e).

Together, these nations account for nearly 80% of global emissions.

China vs the World: Carbon Emissions Edition

China leads the world in emissions with 15.9 GtCO₂e, representing 30.1% of the global total in 2023.

RankCountryGHG Emissions (2023)Share of Global Emissions
1🇨🇳 China15.9 GtCO₂e30.1%
2🇺🇸 U.S.6.0 GtCO₂e11.3%
3🇮🇳 India4.1 GtCO₂e7.8%
4🇪🇺 EU3.2 GtCO₂e6.1%
5🇷🇺 Russia2.7 GtCO₂e5.0%
6🇧🇷 Brazil1.3 GtCO₂e2.5%
7🇮🇩 Indonesia1.2 GtCO₂e2.3%
8🇯🇵 Japan1.0 GtCO₂e2.0%
9🇮🇷 Iran1.0 GtCO₂e1.9%
10🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0.8 GtCO₂e1.5%
11🇨🇦 Canada0.7 GtCO₂e1.4%
12🇲🇽 Mexico0.7 GtCO₂e1.3%
13🇰🇷 South Korea0.7 GtCO₂e1.2%
14🇹🇷 Türkiye0.6 GtCO₂e1.1%
15🇦🇺 Australia0.6 GtCO₂e1.1%
N/ATop 1541.0 GtCO₂e76.6%

This reflects its role as the world’s manufacturing hub, with heavy reliance on coal and high industrial output.

In fact, China’s share of global manufacturing is also about the same (27%) showing the direct consequence of becoming the world’s production base.

The country has committed to peaking emissions before 2030, but its growth trajectory poses challenges.

This also means any progress on climate will hinge heavily both on China’s policy decisions and global consumer behavior.

U.S. and India Round Out the Top Three Carbon Emissions

The U.S. is the second-largest emitter at 6.0 GtCO₂e (11.3% of global emissions).

And this is with around 330 million people, or one-fourth of China’s population. It’s per capita emissions (15 tCO₂e) is also top-15 in the world.

In stark contrast, India ranks third with 4.1 GtCO₂e (7.8%), lower than the U.S., with four times the number of people. However, its emissions are rising as its economy and population grow, following a similar path Western industrialized countries took to prosperity.

Smaller Countries with Outsized Carbon Emissions

Nations like Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Canada appear further down the list, but have some of the highest per capita emissions globally.

Their rankings reflect both resource-driven economies and energy-intensive lifestyles.

Meanwhile, countries like Brazil and Indonesia have large emissions tied to economic development, deforestation, and land use.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Countries Above and Below Average Per Capita Emissions on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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