Since the global temperature is rising, a vast amount of freshwater is being released into the sea with the glaciers melting faster than the rate 10 years ago. These natural events are causing drastic sea-level rise which is posing threat to the coastal regions.
Millions of people from all over the world are currently living on the lands which are threatened by flooding from sea level rise by the end of the century. As per the recent findings, scientists claimed that the threat level has gone up and mainly communities living in the Asia Pacific region are under great risk.
According to the World Economic Forum, here are the fast-sinking six major and global cities which will disappear by 2100 due to the rise in water-levels of the Pacific Ocean.
- Jakarta, Indonesia
Jakarta Wikimedia commons
In 2019, Indonesia President Joko Widodo had announced that Jakarta which is the capital of the South East Asian country will no longer be known as the capital city as the government of Indonesia has decided to shift the capital to the province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The reason behind taking this decision is very simple.
The city is sinking up to 6.7 inches per year due to excessive groundwater pumping. As reported earlier much of the city would be underground by the year 2050.
- Bangkok, Thailand
When it comes to a pocket-friendly travelling with an exciting experience, the name of one of the most popular tourist destination, Thailand's Bangkok, pops up in the mind. As per The Guardian report, Bangkok is at risk of sinking into the sea by 2030, as the city is currently sinking at a rate of more than one centimetre a year.
The researchers, who are continuously monitoring the risk factors, have suggested that to prevent flooding, the government should take some steps to prevent the disaster. They also criticized the lack of any clear policy to prevent impending disaster.
It should be noted that an architecture firm built an 11-acre park that can hold up to 1 million gallons of rainwater called Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park in Thailand. However, it needs to be mentioned that the infrastructure is the first critical piece of green infrastructure for the city of Bangkok that is designed to face future uncertainties of climate change.
- Houston, Texas
The Texas city, Houston is also considered one of the endangered regions due to the sea level rise. Thanks to the groundwater pumping, there are some parts of the city which are sinking at a rate of two inches every year which is making the city more vulnerable. The rise was measured to be 18 inches higher than it was in 1950.
- New Orleans, Louisiana
Another city in North America's Louisiana, New Orleans has made to this list. Some parts of this city are sinking at a rate of 2 inches per year. Considering all circumstances, the NASA study revealed that the city may go underwater by 2100. NASA's airborne radar data from June 2009 to July 2012, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, revealed how the rising seas may come right to the doorsteps of New Orleans, making the situation far more frightening.
- Miami, Florida
As per the environmental experts, Miami's sea levels are rising at faster rates than in other areas in the world which would result in floods, contaminated drinking water and destruction of homes and roads.
