Memorandum for the Petitioners | 78 B. Sea- level rise 8.15. The Philippines is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise as 60% of its municipalities and 10 of its largest cities are located along the coast (where roughly 60% of the population resides ).331 A study by Rietbroek, et al. on regional sea-level budgets showed that “well above sea-level rise is found » regionally near the Philippines ( 14.7 ± 4.39 mm /y). 332 r 8.16. Among the numerous consequences of sea-level rise, two-related phenomena are particularly relevant to the Philippines: the increase in coastal erosion and the compromise of mangrove habitats. There is an increase in coastal erosion because erosion is driven by contact with ocean water. Even a slight increase in sea-level, such as the 7 to 10 millimeters per year experienced in the Philippines, leads to the exposure of hundreds of meters of additional coast. This is especially true for low-lying coasts.333 Dr. David, in her testimony before the Honorable Commission, illustrated this phenomenon to give us a better picture: For example, if you go around the Philippines, areas like Boracay, Sagay, Negros Occidental and Oriental, there’s a huge part of those areas that are low-lying. So even if you’re already four kilometers (4 km ) inland, the elevation is just four meters (4 m) or less. That means you’re going to expose a lot more land to possible erosion from the waves. And with increasing sea- level rise, you’re exposing more communities to this erosion . We’re not even including storm surges in this story.334 (Emphasis supplied) XXX r In Gusa, Cagayan de Oro, historically, they have harvested coral reefs to be part of the church, to be part of the historical buildings. They’ve been harvesting since the last century. But the consequence of that is their coast is slowly eroding, such that houses that were built before that seem to be far from the sea are now right next to the sea...,335 8.17. A second related effect of sea-level rise is the compromise of mangrove habitats . Mangroves act as nursery grounds for fish, which can start their lives among their roots as a means of avoiding predators. Those juvenile fish go on to become an important food source in the Philippines when they mature. If mangroves are compromised, the food security of the World Bank Group (2011 ), Climate Risk and Adaptation Country Profile: Philippines, p. 7, available at https://climateknowledgeportal .worldbank . org/sites/default/files/2018 10/wb_gfdrr_climate_change _country_profile_for_PHL . pdf ( last accessed on 12 September 2019). 332 Rietbroek , R ., et al . (09 February 2016 ), Revisiting the contemporary sea-level budget on global and regional scales, PNAS, p. 113 (6) 1504- 1509 , available at https://www.pnas. Org/content/ l 13/6/ 1504 ( last accessed on 12 September 2019). 331 333 334 335 David , L., supra note 313 , p . 137 . Ibid David , L., supra note 313 , p. 141 .