Combatting relative sea-level rise at a
global scale: Presenting the International Panel on Land
Subsidence (IPLS)
P. S. J. Minderhoud
Soil Geography and Landscape group,
Wageningen University & Research,
Wageningen, The Netherlands
M. Shirzaei
Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
ABSTRACT
Land subsidence is increasingly recognized as a critical factor exacerbating relative sea-level rise (SLR), particularly
affecting coastal cities and delta regions worldwide. Despite its significance, subsidence is often underrepresented in
global SLR assessments. This manuscript introduces the formation of the International Panel on Land Subsidence
(IPLS), which aims to unify scientific communities and global research efforts, improve monitoring, modeling,
projections and mitigation strategies, and integrate subsidence with global SLR projections. We outline a roadmap for
the IPLS to become a pivotal resource in global environmental policy, similar in scope to the IPCC. By fostering
intergovernmental collaboration and standardizing responses, IPLS seeks to place land subsidence prominently on
international agendas, provide mitigation strategies to reduce coastal land subsidence, and thereby relative SLR, and
enhance the resilience of vulnerable coastal populations.
