The research took as a basis and updated a previous work of the Ministry of Environment, which was carried out in 2019 in the framework of the COP 25 held in Madrid, Spain.

According to the research, in extensive Chilean coasts from Arica to Cape Horn there are at least 900,000 people living in areas of low elevation and of them 46,000 will suffer flooding by the middle of this century due to the rise of the sea level.

The new study was made with the cooperation of specialists from the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; the Universidad de Valparaíso; and the Pontificias Universidades Católicas de Chile and Valparaíso.

According to the results, published by El Mercurio news website, in a pessimistic climate scenario, the penetrations of the sea could affect extensive inhabited areas of the country.

Particularly at risk are Rapa Nui, Juan Fernández and Viña del Mar and, to a lesser extent, Antofagasta, Valparaíso, Talcahuano, Valdivia, Coronel, Coquimbo Bay and Puerto Saavedra, among other places.

Patricio Wincler, co-author of the study, said that this will make it possible to know what the behavior of the sea will be, as well as to know the area of the territory that could be affected and make better decisions about land use.

In the same sense, Magdalena Vicuña, also a participant in the research, said that with this data it is possible to decide on an eventual construction in a vulnerable area and avoid possible future risks, both for people and infrastructure.

mh/arm/mem/car/eam