As Spaniards summer at Barcelona's beaches, some worry about the erosion of coastline

MONTGAT, Spain -- Ana García rents a shack at a beach just north of Barcelona every year, spending two months there in the summer with her daughter. But García fears summers by the sea in Montgat, about a 30-minute drive from central Barcelona, eventually could be numbered.

Storms and sea level rise driven by climate change are eroding the man-made beaches in metropolitan Barcelona, with the sea swallowing swathes of coastline every year, authorities say. Compared to natural coastlines, man-made beaches erode faster. Montgat's coastline has eroded especially fast, locals and authorities say.

“Clearly, this is worrying,” García said. “Because it’s increasing more and more, and shows no signs of stopping. Our coexistence with the sea here is in danger.”

The fishing town turned summering spot is no stranger to change. Fishing was once the main economic activity in the “Maresme,” or marshlands, north of Barcelona, but everything changed in 1986 when Spain's second-largest city was named host of the 1992 Olympic Games.

Where once there were just rocks, breakwaters and thin stretches of sand, several new beaches were constructed, helping turn the city into one of Europe's premier tourism hotspots.

Climate change is threatening that transformation in small coastal towns like Montgat by intensifying storms that erode coastline and driving sea-level rise.

While authorities have responded by replacing the lost sand and building some breakwaters, the efforts haven't kept pace with the coastline's erosion.

Ramon Torra, manager of Barcelona's Metropolitan Area, acknowledges that simply adding more sand isn't enough.

“What we must do first isn’t just replenish the sand, but rather stop the loss of it," Torra said. “In the case of the ‘Maresme’ region here, we are talking about structures such as breakwaters because they confine the beach."

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

As the planet warms, sea levels rise largely due to the melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of seawater as it grows warmer. That increases the risk of coastal flooding and storm surges that lead to land loss.

At Montgat and nearby beaches, the main damage takes place in the fall and winter, when destructive weather systems known locally by the Spanish acronym DANA bring powerful storms to southern Europe.

The storms have wreaked havoc on Montgat's coastline in recent years. In April 2024, a storm system brought waves that climbed as high as 5 meters (16 feet) tall and left parts of Montgat virtually without a beach. Afterward, a line of rocks serving as a breakwater was built after the waves reached a line of beachfront houses.

Montgat Mayor Andreu Absil reckons only a third of the beach survived from a year ago. He stressed the importance of the beach for locals.

“The beaches are the last democratic space we have,” Absil said. “And they should be for all of us to use and enjoy all year long."

Barcelona's authorities estimate 60 million euros ($70.2 million) are needed to stabilize the coastline in metropolitan Barcelona's 42 kilometres (26 miles) of coastline, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of which are beaches like Montgat. Add to that the yearly maintenance costs after storms.

Scientists say the biggest problem will arrive when the sea reaches the town’s infrastructure including the train line, homes and businesses.

The rate of sea level rise portends more loss, academics say.

Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla, a maritime engineer at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, said current trends show sea levels along the Catalan coast are four times higher today than three decades ago. He said it has risen by 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) in 25 years while waves are on average 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) higher.

“So we don’t need to predict it will accelerate. We can say already it has multiplied by four since the 1990’s,” he said, adding that he believes the time for climate adaptation is now. Those measures include building seawalls, planting vegetation as a barrier to the sea and more.

Local business owners in the town depend on summer tourism and worry what could take hold when the sea swallows up more sand. Those who come year after year for the fresh seafood and cold beer share the concern.

José Luís Vélez, a retiree, has been coming to the same beach bar for years, having witnessed the changes Montgat underwent after the ’92 Olympics, as well as its coastline in retreat.

“It’s been great but the sea has started to erode all the sand. And we aren’t seeing people really doing something about it. So we think this could have an expiration date," Vélez said.

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Naishadham reported from Madrid.