SILKEBORG, Denmark (CN) — With days left before the end of the year, the Danish Meteorological Institute said Denmark's annual rainfall was already “record-breaking,” registering about 35.7 inches for 2023 — the highest total since official records began in 1874. The record came despite drought in May and June.
And despite its modest size, Denmark has a 4,500-mile-long coastline and is surrounded by ocean on all sides. Traditionally, Danes have settled close to the shores and filled less-inhabited coastal areas with summer homes.
Taken together, these facts show how the country and its infrastructure are vulnerable to increasing sea levels and storms, which became evident in 2023 as several damaging floods wreaked havoc.
On the Friday before Christmas, a low-pressure storm named Pia hit Denmark with wind speeds of 98 mph, raising water levels around several mid-sized towns with its hurricane-force winds. And it was far from the only violent storm to haunt the small country in 2023.
In October, authorities told locals in southeastern Denmark to evacuate their homes, as storm surge hit from the east.
Local and national politicians widely agree that further storm flooding prevention measures are necessary to protect Danes and their properties.
The government added 150 million Danish kroner ($22 million) to coastal protection funding in December.
Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke highlighted municipal solutions as the way forward. “The storm surge in October was very extreme,” he said, emphasizing the necessity of building more natural dunes, dikes, barriers and canal locks.
Mayors from smaller towns south of Copenhagen have collectively called for better protection of the capital area, as recent storms could have easily damaged “housing, infrastructure worth billions, cultural heritage and life and health for city residents.”
So have local politicians from Jutland, the western part of Denmark, where mid-sized towns risk flooding from the North Sea.
According to Birgitte Hoffmann, lecturer at Copenhagen University’s Institute for Sustainability and Planning, Denmark will face more and bigger storms in the near future. Combined with increased sea water levels and heavier periodic rainfalls, cities must adapt quickly.
“The changes are related to climate change, and we have become more vulnerable. It is necessary to give more space to the water inland and lay out areas that can serve as barriers when the water hits,” she said.
Hoffmann is only one of numerous experts warning that violent floods could occur more regularly.
In the science journal Videnskab.dk, geological climate researcher Kristian Kjellerup Kjeldsen argued that Danes are going to see what have been known as “100-year-storms,” with flood levels 6 feet above normal. As ice melts in both the Arctic and Antarctic, those could become more frequent.
With its coastal positioning, Denmark began constructing dykes around low-lying areas over a century ago, Hoffmann said. But now new strategies are needed.
“In the 1850s, in order to reclaim land for agriculture we started a huge drainage project all over Denmark. In the process, we removed most of the natural water holes and swamps in the open land and diverted water to the streams and rivers flowing toward the coasts,” she said.
She continued: “So now, coastal areas are at double risk during storms and heavy rain. Rainwater reaches them from the fields inland, while sea waves hit the shore.”
As Denmark faces more periods with alternating rain and droughts, there are three measures that are imperative to take, Hoffmann argued.
The first is to create more barriers along the coast, either through uninhabited nature areas for recreational purposes, or with new urban development.
A good example of the former is Køge Beach Park south of Copenhagen, where sand, dunes, small stands of trees and meadows help keep the water at bay. An example of the latter could be construction like the controversial artificial island Lynetteholmen.
The second step is to return certain areas to nature, for instance by removing dikes and letting the sea reclaim an area.
And the last measure, closely related to climate adaptation, is to establish new infrastructure to deal with excess water in city centers, Hoffmann said. Unlike the old wastewater infrastructure, new systems must make space for storm water on the surface.
“It is key to create greener areas with plants and earth that can absorb and hold water —for example as a natural part of our road designs. In addition, canals, water pits and natural terrain variation in urban parks act as containers and gather excess water from nearby buildings,” Hoffman said.
Hoffmann called Portland, Oregon, a brilliant example of innovative infrastructure design, as the government’s Green Streets Program initiative has solved the city’s sewer problems and improved public health.
2023 was a stormy and rainy year not only for Denmark but also neighboring Scandinavian countries Norway and Sweden. The two countries saw turbulent weather in the summer and fall, resulting in flooding of big rivers and a loss of critical infrastructure.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
