The changing climate and the increasing melting of polar ice have caused the volume of water in the oceans to rise steadily, with no signs of slowing down. In the future, many major cities may be submerged under the sea.
As sea temperatures rise, ocean water expands, causing sea levels to rise rapidly. In addition to the warming climate, population growth also contributes to the problem. As the population increases in each city, the land subsides more quickly. Currently, many cities around the world are already below sea level.
Since the late 1960s, sea levels have risen an average of 4.88 millimeters per year. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2019 stated that between 2006-2015, the sea level rose by 3.3 millimeters per year. The IPCC predicts that by 2100, sea levels could rise by up to 84 centimeters.
What impact does rising sea levels have on the world?
The increase in sea levels will have significant environmental and human impacts, including:
- Coastal erosion: As sea levels rise, coastal areas will be eroded quickly, and communities along the coast will be damaged or destroyed. People will need to migrate or relocate from their homes.
- Flooding: Rising sea levels will cause flooding in areas below sea level. If sea levels continue to rise rapidly, some cities may eventually sink into the sea and become submerged or deserted as people are forced to leave due to lack of habitable land.
- Stronger storms: As sea levels rise, hurricanes and typhoons will become more intense, as the level of the sea affects the movement and water content of storms. More powerful storms will have a greater destructive force on the land.
- Less land on Earth: As sea levels rise, some cities will eventually be submerged, and coastal areas will be eroded, resulting in the loss of valuable land.
How should we address the rising sea levels?
Countries worldwide must prepare to deal with rising sea levels immediately, especially cities and coastal areas that are at the highest risk. Measures include building seawalls, planting mangrove forests to reduce wave impact, and installing flood warning systems along the coast. Additionally, everyone must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute significantly to global warming and are a major factor in rising sea levels.
10 Major Cities Likely to Be Submerged
According to data from John Englander, here are the top 10 cities most likely to be submerged due to rising sea levels, primarily caused by melting polar ice and factors like thermal expansion of water and increased evaporation due to global warming. The cities at highest risk are:
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Manila, Philippines
- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
- New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Osaka, Japan
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Shanghai, China
- Venice, Italy
- Alexandria, Egypt
These cities’ risk of submersion may change over time depending on factors like land subsidence and the actions taken by each city to mitigate the issue.
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