Experts issue warning about looming threat to historic town: 'It was waist-deep in the kitchen'

Researchers are raising red flags as a Philippine city slips beneath swiftly rising tides. 

What's happening?

According to The Manila Times, the coastal town of Hagonoy is grappling with a threat to its survival. Because of the steadily rising ocean, high tide is a nightmare, inundating communities and threatening livelihoods for years. 

"It was 3.6 [feet] last night, and it was waist-deep in the kitchen," one resident said. The tides frequently flood public spaces, and outlying islands are disappearing under the waves. Popular attractions, including a beach, a bus terminal, and banks, have closed because of routine flooding.

Pugad Island, believed to be where the Spanish first landed in Luzon, has slipped fully below sea level. Residents have constructed concrete barricades to try to hold back the sea. 

Why is Hagonoy important?

What's happening in Hagonoy may soon stretch to much of the world. Scientists believe that Hagonoy's slow slide into the sea is due to rising global temperatures caused by humans' carbon pollution. 

As the planet heats up, ice at the North and South Poles melts, causing oceans to rise. Water also expands as it warms, pushing sea levels even higher. As they climb, coastal cities are submerged. 

According to Climate Central, 420 million people could be impacted by rising seas by the end of the century even if some changes are made to reduce carbon pollution. If heat-trapping gases continue to fill the atmosphere, ice sheets will destabilize, and the number of people affected jumps to 630 million.

What's being done about Hagonoy?

The people living in Hagonoy have devised a clever, if temporary solution to rising seas: raised tricycles. They sit above the flood waters, allowing people to continue to go about their daily lives for the time being. 

However, even that is under threat; fishers report that their waters are increasingly devoid of the life they need to eat, and the waters encroach further and further, limiting even the trikes' ability to operate. It's unclear what the future holds for Hagonoy, and its struggles serve as an ominous warning for the rest of the world should temperatures continue to rise unchecked. 

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