Rising sea level threatens 300 million people within 2050

Some research suggests that more than three times as many people living on the coasts are at risk of rising sea levels than previously thought, and that these areas, now home to 300 million people, will be flooded at least once a year by 2050.

Jonathan Watts said in a report published in the Guardian newspaper that a study published in the journal Nature Communications reported that flooding coastal areas would occur unless carbon emissions were significantly reduced and coastal defenses strengthened.

The new revision is based on a more sophisticated assessment of the topography of coasts around the world.

He pointed out that the researchers highlighted the size of the difference they found in the new study, compared to the previous study issued by the agency "NASA", and that this was a shock to them.

Climate change
"The assessments show how climate change is reshaping cities, economies, coasts and regions of the world," said lead author and chief scientist at Clemat Central Scott Club.

"Given the high tide movement compared to the land on which people live, countries will increasingly face questions as to whether coastal defenses are able to protect them, and how long they can do so."

It is estimated that Asia will be the most affected by climate change as it is home to the majority of the world's population.The number of people at risk of annual flooding by 2050 is projected to more than eightfold in Bangladesh, sevenfold in India and threefold in China.

The Indonesian government feels a grave threat to the lives of its residents and recently announced plans to relocate the country's capital from flood-prone Jakarta, while the new figures reveal that 23 million people are at risk in Indonesia, up from a previous estimate of five. Millions.

Benjamin Strauss, executive director of Clemat Central, said many countries were likely to face Indonesia's fate unless marine defenses were strengthened or carbon emissions cut.

Paris Convention
The authors argue that these calculations can underestimate risks because they are based on record sea-level rise projections, under a scenario known as the Representative Focus Path 2.6, which assumes emission reductions in line with the promises made under the Paris Convention, if countries fulfill these commitments. .

In the worst-case scenarios facing the worsening of the Antarctic ice, scientists say around 640 million people will be at risk by 2100.

Strauss-Kahn said a study by the World Bank using old survey data estimated annual damages worth $ 1 trillion by the middle of the century, although the value of these damage needs to be updated.

He stressed the need to use more sophisticated topographic measurements. "It has been proven that there is an urgent need to adopt advanced coastal defenses, and make plans to face rising sea levels, if we want to avoid economic damage and instability. The lesson from this research is that although many Of people are more threatened than we thought, the benefits of work are much greater. "