Putting up an umbrella, spreading out a towel, and jumping into the water has long been one of the best remedies for the heat. The persistent heatwaves may be putting things in question, and now another question arises from the continued rise in sea levels: Is Catalonia ready to maintain its beaches? The most optimistic projections for climate change predict a sea level rise of between 30 and 50 centimeters by 2100, but experts are increasingly inclined to consider more pessimistic scenarios. The most common prediction is that the increase will be more than 80 centimeters. Given this, traditional prescriptions are becoming obsolete, and scientists are designing innovative solutions to protect the beaches.

Rescue poles and ropes, self-inflating devices, floating boards... These tools can help us rescue a drowning person in the water. In fact, in some European countries they are already part of the public equipment available on beaches and lakes. "Just as we see fire extinguishers and defibrillators in our daily lives, we also need the resources to be able to act safely if we witness someone in trouble in the water," explains Ramsés Martí, an emergency medical nurse, lifeguard, and water safety expert. "Having these types of items in Catalan bathing areas could serve as a first response to a drowning while emergency services arrive," he explains.

With the progressive easing of drought restrictions and the arrival of the bathing season, which begins every year de facto Rather, coastal municipalities have had to decide whether to reinstate beach showers or opt for some type of restriction. Except for Sant Pere Pescador and Portbou, where beach showers and footbaths will remain closed this summer, most municipalities along the Girona coast have decided to once again offer these services to bathers, although in almost all cases the number of water points will be reduced and flow reducers will be added. The ultimate goal is to reduce consumption, in some cases by as much as half, and raise awareness among the population about responsible water use in the face of the threat of further extreme droughts due to climate change. Some municipalities, such as L'Escala, Llançà, and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, have not yet made a decision on a debated issue: finding a balance between public service and water conservation.

Barcelona City Council will make changes to the public space ordinance to ban smoking on all the city's beaches. As councillor for Climate Emergency Eloi Badia explained, there is already a political agreement for this new ban and the ordinance change may be applied in early July.

How long can the Catalan coastline ignore the already obvious consequences of rising sea levels? The regression of the coastline is palpable and accelerating: since 2017, some metropolitan beaches have registered retreat rates ranging from 7.5 metres per year in Montgat to about 10 metres per year in Badalona. And the situation is even more critical in places such as the mouth of the Ebro delta. Around 9% of the country's beaches may have been "totally eroded" in 2035. And this, for scientists, is the optimistic scenario. In addition, about half of them are doomed to width losses that will jeopardise the tourist and leisure activities they allow right now. It is a "critical" situation, according to the diagnosis made by the extensive report A coastline at the limit commissioned by the Consell Assessor per al Desenvolupament Sostenible (CADS), dependent on the Generalitat.

The data on the evolution of the covid is not good and those of Barcelona are of particular concern: in the last week, infections multiplied by four in the city and reached 8,915. More than a thousand positive cases per day, when only three weeks ago there were about 150. "The number of infections has risen a lot in a few days", the Councilor for Health, Gemma Tarafa, has warned at a press conference, who, as she did in the hardest moments of the pandemic, has appeared accompanied by the Deputy Mayor for Security, Albert Batlle, and the councilor Eloi Badia, who is in charge of managing the beaches, one of the most concerning parts of the city with regards to night crowds. With nightlife closed, the Colau government today focused its message on the need to avoid crowds in public spaces and specifically in the beach area, although it has ruled out closing them so as not to concentrate more people in other spaces.

dThe councils of the Girona coast are preparing for a summer with large crowds on the beaches and long queues to access the smaller ones, as happened last year in Calella de Palafrugell, Begur and Cala Bona in Blanes, among others. There is no longer a state of alarm and indicators of the pandemic awaken confidence thanks to the good pace of the vaccination campaign, but the beaches will not yet recover full normality this summer. The councils are still awaiting the health measures issued by Procicat in early June, when the bathing season is usually inaugurated, but they are already working on plans to limit capacity and hiring security guards to ensure compliance with the restrictions in force and avoid overcrowding. In addition, the elimination of the night curfew generates fear for the