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Cities in danger of disappearing under the waters

As is well known, global warming involves the melting and consequent rise in sea level progressively, until large coastal areas around the world disappear. Some islands will also disappear. These are areas that have a significant risk of flooding even if we successfully combat climate change.

The reduction of the world’s coasts will also mean the disappearance of many cities, engulfed under water in a longer or shorter period of time, depending on the scenario in which we find ourselves, since global warming can accelerate more or less depending on the amount of emissions.

You may also be interested in: The importance of trees in cities
Index
  1. Cities built below sea level
  2. American cities
  3. Asian and European cities
  4. African cities
  5. Conclusions

Cities built below sea level

They are at particular risk cities built under sea level, such as Tokyo, Miami, New York, Singapore, Venice, Amsterdam or Rotterdam. According to Steven Nerem, an aerospace scientist specializing in climate change, “it is too late” for some of these cities. To take an example beyond the obvious drama suffered by Venice or the Dutch coast, among others, New York could become uninhabitable before the end of the century, says the expert.

In AgroCorrn we echoed a study that brought forward the date of the flooding of US coastal cities at the end of the century, although it did not give specific dates, since these depend on the measures taken and the advance of climate change, among other factors.

American cities

Miami, New Orleans and New York are just some of the North American cities that are on the black list. The Florida peninsula will be completely submerged, and also the Canadian city of Vancouver, Halifax, Boston, Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco or California, among others.

In Central and South America it should also be noted, according to various studies, from the Caribbean Islands or the Galapagos Islands, to the Amazon or Chilean and Argentine Patagonia. As for cities, sooner or later Cancun, Veracruz, Port-au-Prince, Buenos Aires, Asunción, Paramaribo, Georgetown, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro or Lima will be under water.

Asian and European cities

In Asia, Beijing, Seoul, Qingdao, Shanghai, Tokyo, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Karachi, Calcutta, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila and Singapore are in danger. According to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the Chinese city of Guangzhou tops the list of cities that would suffer the worst damage as a result of an extreme flood in the middle of a century.

African cities

On the one hand, Africa is considered by many studies the continent least affected by floods. However, there is also a broad consensus on their vulnerability to extreme events, in particular chronic droughts , which cause famines and epidemics that bring great mortality.

That increased resistance, however, does not mean that it remains unscathed. Northern cities such as Tunisia or Cairo or, on the west coast, Dakar, among other cities in the Gulf of Guinea. Similarly, Alexandria is in danger and, in general, it must be taken into account that the cities of this continent will multiply in size in the coming years, thus facing the onslaught of climate change, including floods, constitutes a major challenge.

Finally, Australia will also suffer from the floods . Cities like Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne are on the tightrope. Let us not forget that both Australia and Oceania suffer significantly from climate change, the effects of which are already manifesting in the form of storms and cyclones that cause great damage, including floods.

Since climate change is a phenomenon that affects the entire planet, in short, the response must also be global to mitigate its consequences. In many cases, investing in infrastructure helps prevent cities from flooding or, at least, delay it from happening. Although the richest regions will be able to better cope with the onslaught of climate change, it is also true that in the face of flooding cities, little can be done in the long term. Be that as it may, acting is an urgency for humanity.

Conclusions

In other words, carrying out green policies makes it possible to move away from fossil fuels and thereby preserve the stability of the global climate, slowing the thaw and removing the specter of flooding from coastal cities. Thus, some cities may be saved.

If we continue polluting uncontrollably, greenhouse gases will warm the planet 4 degrees Celsius in just a decade, creating the ideal context for coastal cities around the world to disappear.

Reaching those 4 degrees would mean a rise in sea level that would submerge the lands where 470 to 760 million people currently live, according to a Climate Central study entitled “Carbon, climate and rising seas our global legacy.”

Consider that 70 percent of the world’s population currently lives in coastal areas, although climate change affects unevenly and largely unpredictable. In any case, one thing is for sure: every fraction of a degree that we avoid climbing will prevent the flooding of some areas and cities.

Likewise, there are numerous variables that make the forecasts vary depending on geological characteristics or, for example, the type of occupation of the coast. The same effects do not occur if there are cliffs, dams specifically built to contain the advance of the sea or if there are river deltas or beaches.

The constructions that exist also influence, including type. It will not affect the densely built coasts with tourist buildings as well as small or large coastal cities, let’s say.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cities in danger of disappearing under water , we recommend that you enter our Architecture and urbanism category .

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Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

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