London, Jakarta, Shanghai and Houston and other global cities that are already sinking will become increasingly vulnerable to storms and flooding as a result of global warming, campaigners have warned.
The threat to cities from sea level rises is increasing because city planners are failing to prepare, the charity Christian Aid said in the report. Christian Aid looked at the consequences of a 1.5C rise for a selection of eight major cities around the world. The report concludes that poor development choices are exacerbating cities’ vulnerability to weather shocks.
Some big cities are already subsiding.
The ground beneath Shanghai, for instance, is being pressed down by the sheer weight of the buildings above – and rising sea levels resulting from global warming will make the effects worse.
Bangkok’s skyscrapers are weighing it down
Jakarta is thought to be subsiding by 25cm a year largely because of groundwater extraction.
Houston is sinking as the oil wells beneath it are depleted.
London is slowly sinking for geological reasons.
The threat to cities from sea level rises is increasing because city planners are failing to prepare, the charity Christian Aid said in the report. Christian Aid looked at the consequences of a 1.5C rise for a selection of eight major cities around the world. The report concludes that poor development choices are exacerbating cities’ vulnerability to weather shocks.
Some big cities are already subsiding.
The ground beneath Shanghai, for instance, is being pressed down by the sheer weight of the buildings above – and rising sea levels resulting from global warming will make the effects worse.
Bangkok’s skyscrapers are weighing it down
Jakarta is thought to be subsiding by 25cm a year largely because of groundwater extraction.
Houston is sinking as the oil wells beneath it are depleted.
London is slowly sinking for geological reasons.
Kat Kramer of Christian Aid, who wrote the report, said: “These global metropolises may look strong and stable, but it is a mirage. As sea levels rise, they are increasingly under threat and under water.”
Dozens of the world’s biggest cities are built in coastal areas and near major rivers, making them vulnerable not just to sea level rises but also to storm surges, which can send high seas inland and past maritime defences.
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