“We will have to rethink the R1 line of Rodalies. If the storms continue, it is in danger,” he predicts
The Generalitat does not have the jurisdiction of coasts. However, he criticizes the Government’s policy on the protection of the coast and rejects the contributions of sand to the beaches as a measure to combat the effects of maritime storms. This strategy amounts to Throw the money“, it states Mireia Boyageneral director of Canvi Climàtic of the Generalitat.
In fact, Boya questions the future of the beaches: “Sand loss will be the natural dynamic in many places. The sea level will rise and we will have shorter beaches. other Beaches smaller ones will gain sand and some will disappear“. As he explains, the “Economic interests” focus on preventing this “inevitable process” from continuing on its way. He gives an example of what is happening in the Ebro delta: “The Trabucador beach disappears but the sand accumulates in the Ràpita bay, where the beach is growing”.
It also puts the focus on the rodalies line R1, that of Maresme, close to the coast and, therefore, very exposed to storms. “We will have to rethink this line of rodalies, the R1. If the storms continue, he is in danger,” Boya predicts.
beaches at risk
Sources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition acknowledge that providing sand is a temporary and momentary measure. However, they argue that the They maintain it because several municipalities request it and they emphasize that it is a more respectful action with the environment than depending on what works. For the moment, if it is about emergency measures and beaches that have been reduced almost to nothing, this type of solution will continue to be used even if it generates controversy. “The beaches are our best defense against wave energy and it is necessary to maintain them with enough sand”, defend the sources consulted.
The Generalitat insists that this “short-term” measure is not sustainable. “It is better to bet on formulas adapted to nature, such as the recovery of the dunes,” proposes Boya.
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He 60% of the Catalan coastaccording to the Ministry of Climate Action, It is threatened by the climate crisis and erosion from storms, that every time “will be stronger and more powerful”. In Estartit, for example, the dunes were recovered to stop the effects of the rising. Boya explains it this way: “When the waves crash against the concrete of the promenades, they take part of the sand. Instead, the dune complexes soften these effects. It is not an immediate solution, as it takes time, but neither is investing in sand that the sea will engulf again.”
The Generalitat understands the municipalities that need sand from one season to the next, but proposes that they apply projects that subsidize renaturation. This April, for example, a new call for 40 million of euros to execute these plans.