Dam it all: could this ancient technology protect us from rising sea levels?

Dam it all: could this ancient technology protect us from rising sea levels?

Coastlines around the world are vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Huge dams, blocking off areas as large as the North and Baltic Seas, could be an answer.

While hugely expensive on paper, the costs of inaction will be far higher.



On 14 December 1287, the dikes that held the North Sea back from the Netherlands coast broke. The resulting inundation, known as St. Lucia's Flood, caused between 50,000 to 80,000 lives to be lost. Already specialists at building dikes prior to this disaster, the Dutch people consequently reinforced their existing dikes while improving their skills as dike-builders.

Since then, dikes have safeguarded newly created arable land while protecting the Netherlands from rising sea levels. Today, the dike network extends for more than 22,000 km, and has reduced the