The autonomous community of Cantabria forms part of the alluring ‘Green Coast’ in northern Spain. It’s a Walhalla for nature lovers. However, this could change in the near future, because Cantabria is one of the most vulnerable regions in the country in regards of climate change. Its capital, Santander, is already noticing the effects. The beaches are shrinking, it barely rains and worst of all: the city can’t guarantee access to drinking water in the summer. With climate change accelerating, the future is uncertain. How will Santander adapt to these challenges and protect itself?

The city used to be known for its rainy, mild climate, but that’s no longer the case since the climate started shifting. On what should be a cold and wet December day, Santander is basking in 19 degree sunny weather. Which makes the local policymakers grow worried about the effects of climate change on the city. “We should re-evaluate what we’re doing wrong, because we must be doing something wrong for the climate to change”, says Margarita Rojo, city hall’s environmental advisor. 

Coastline under threat

According to Rojo the physical changes are best seen on the beaches. “There’s a shortage of sand on our beaches. Especially on the ones facing south. A lot of the sand has disappeared, which has uncovered things that weren’t there before. Like a small dock that has turned into a small wall and now separates Los Peligros beach and La Magdalena beach.” She wouldn’t be surprised if the beaches would get even more affected in the near future. “Based on what we already know I think it’s very likely. We could end up with rock beaches or even badly accessible beaches if we don’t try to preserve and maintain what we have now.” 

Rojo’s fears may become reality sooner than she thought, considering Greenpeace Spain has already predicted that the Cantabrian Coast is at risk of losing its beaches within the next ten years already.

However, shrinking beaches aren’t the only physical and noticeable changes in the city. Any ‘Santanderino’ that’s been living there for some years, will tell you they’ve noticed the effects of climate change already. Dori Gutierrez Gutierrez has been living in the area for 82 years. When asked how the climate has changed over the years she laughs. “40 years ago I never left the house without an umbrella, but nowadays it rarely rains. I also remember the freezing cold winters and how you could see the white mountaintops from the bay. But over the last few years you could barely even tell that it’s winter.” Gutierrez’s experience reflects a larger trend: Santander’s rainfall is drastically decreasing. 

Impact on basic necessities 

According to Rojo the lack of rain is due to the warm ‘southern wind’ that comes to town more often. “As long as there’s a southern wind there’s no rain.” It seems to form a barrier that won’t let the clouds and rain in. And that’s a serious problem for the water supply of the city. Rojo goes on to explain the issues they started having in the summer of 2022  “We didn’t have enough to get drinking water to the citizens’ taps. Eventually we had to request water from the Cantabrian government, they had to supply us with water from the Ebro reservoir for many months. It was the first time that this happened.” 

Interestingly enough the Ebro reservoir also faces problems. “The water reservoirs in southern Spain may have recovered in spite of the water shortage, but the Ebro reservoir hasn’t fully recovered and is still at a very low capacity.” Rojo thinks that the lack of snowfall in the mountains of Reinosa plays a big part in this, since it affects the reach of the Ebro. “Aside from what it means for the climate if there’s no snow, it’s also a problem for people’s livelihood. Because the ski resorts in these mountains are a very important economic resource in this region.” It goes to show that climate change doesn’t just affect nature, it trickles down into basic things like having access to tap water or people’s source of income. 

Infrastructure not ready for 2050’s struggles

It’s clear that Santander is already experiencing a glimpse of what the future has in store for them. And it will only get worse if nothing changes. According to research published in Observatorio Social ‘La Caixa’, Cantabria is one of two of the most vulnerable autonomous communities when it comes to climate change. These vulnerabilities are already manifesting themselves through higher temperatures, decrease of rain and deficits in the availability of sufficient and good quality water resources. That’s why city hall ordered the University of Cantabria to make a Plan of Adaptation to Climate Change, to look into the future risks of climate change for Santander.

The researchers found that by 2050 Santander will indeed experience a moderate increase in temperature, in all seasons. This will significantly affect the amount of heat waves and tropical nights. The prolonged heat waves are already putting pressure on the urban infrastructure, from power systems to water supply and sanitation networks. In addition, the temperature rise could possibly increase the incidence and severity of respiratory diseases in Santander. Which threatens their largely elderly population.

Even though Rojo said they’re experiencing water shortages, the prediction for the future is that rainfall will become more extreme. More frequent and severe urban flooding threatens the safety and habitability of the population. The growing urbanization contributes to increased risk of flooding and landslides. Moreover, the rise of sea levels show risks of beach recession, which is in line with what Rojo said before. It comes with the consequences of economic and social impact. One example being the rising water temperatures that could affect the food chain and local fisheries in the long term.

According to the researchers the current changes already put significant pressure on the current infrastructure and city structure. And this will only intensify as time goes on. 

Green capital

But the future risks mentioned above aren’t just a problem for the locals of Santander. The Bay of Santander is the biggest estuary on the north coast, making it a crucial ecosystem for the entire north. That’s because estuaries play a big role in protecting communities from impacts of flooding, climate change and rising sea levels. It’s also a big factor in the economy, since estuaries provide economic benefits for tourism, fisheries and recreational activities. 

The bay’s importance is recognized locally and (inter)nationally. It contains flora, fauna and remarkable natural spaces, earning them a spot in the club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World. Additionally, the bay is home to the Global Geosite ‘La Costa Quebrada’. This coastal stretch is currently being considered to be added to the list of UNESCO Geoparks because of its geological and ecological value in the region. It would be a shame to lose such an important area to adverse climate events in the future. That’s why it’s important to take action now. And that’s exactly what Santander is doing.

Although the city is still in the middle of researching the effects of climate change on the city and coast, they’re not just standing by the sidelines. In the meantime they’ve launched their project ‘Santander Capital Natural’. “Its main objective is to reinforce the network of green zones, preserve biodiversity on a local scale and enhance environmental services to improve the quality of life of the Santanderinos”, said Rojo. But how will they do that?

Coexisting in natural cities 

Rojo explains that Santander Capital Natural is made up out of several different projects that target the aforementioned objective. Rigid and badly accessible places that are subject to drought and impermeable soil will be turned into green zones. This way the soil will be better equipped to absorb water in case of heavy rainfall or flooding. Additionally, they want to strengthen the integration of biodiversity in the city. It’ll be done by restoring degraded areas and trading pavement for green strips.

“Every area is different and needs a different tactic. In one of the degraded areas we want to make a pond for amphibians with a corridor to the nearby park of La Magdalena. This way they can travel from the restored area to the already established park.” These restorations will help revive biodiversity, which has already suffered significant losses. 

Another goal is to improve the air quality and reduce the heat island effect. To do so they’re going to plant 25.000 trees in Santander. This way there will be one tree for every three citizens. “We are blessed with nature that cleans our atmosphere, but we also contaminate a lot. That’s why we should preserve and expand the nature we already have like the Peninsula of La Magdalena and the gardens of Piquio for example. Without turning the city into a forest of course. We should coexist in natural cities”, Rojo explained. 

Wake up call 

While projects like Santander Capital Natural are steps in the right direction, the challenges remain significant. The necessity for that resilience is highlighted by the risks they’ll be facing. “The climate has been giving all of us alarming warning signs, I’m glad we finally decided to listen”, said Rojo. For her, the message is clear: “If we don’t act now, we will all be leaving this planet.”