Risk to Jersey and Guernsey coasts if climate change continues, experts warn

• Video report by ITV Channel's Jadzia Samuel

Environmental experts are warning that people across the Channel Islands could face increased coastal flooding and extreme weather.

It comes as a direct result of climate change, which is quickening the rate that sea levels rise.

One bridal shop in Beaumont has already suffered flooding, after tides breached coastal defences twice.

Anna Trigg said: “I was devastated both times, because I lost all my samples.”

Although improved defences have been put in place since, she remains concerned for the future.

According to one study commissioned by the Jersey Government and published in 2020, the best case scenario would see a 10 centimetre rise in average water levels by the end of the decade.

But this relies on global leaders staying on track to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees by 2100 - in line with the Paris Agreement.

With climate scientists saying the world is currently heading towards a 2.6 degree rise, there are fears sea levels across the Channel islands could rise by 20cm by 2030.

Andrew Le Quesne, chairman of Earth Project Jersey, told ITV News why these rises are so impactful: “It sounds very insignificant. It’s to do with the sheer volume of water there and this is in calm water conditions.”

As the COP27 summit kicks off in Egypt, both the Jersey and Guernsey governments say they remain committed to tackling climate change across the islands.

The environmental leaders both say they will take preventative measures to cut carbon emissions, and pursue plans to adapt local infrastructure to protect residents.