How will climate change affect the marine environment?
Climate change will affect our marine wildlife and habitats in two major ways. At the coast, which serves as a vital larder, maternity ward and nursery for so much of our marine life, rising sea levels will squeeze precious intertidal habitats up against manmade defences until they have nowhere to go. In the last 100 years, 75% of the saltmarsh in England and Wales was lost due to land claim and erosion. Without managed retreat we stand to lose much of the remainder.
