According to a recent study, more than two thirds of the world's large cities are in areas that could be dramatically affected by rising sea levels in the coming decades. Moreover, 634 million people live in areas at risk, and that number is growing every day.
People in more than 180 countries live in low-level coastal areas, and 70 percent of those countries have large urban areas that are at risk, including Tokyo, New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Jakarta, and Dhaka. 75 percent of the people at risk are living in Asia, and poorer nations are at the greatest risk.
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Nobody knows how long it will take for sea levels to rise or when countries might begin to experience flooding from the rise, but researchers warn that nations may have to take steps to relocate people from coastal areas and/or build protective engineering structures. They also suggest that countries begin slowing down the population growth in areas at risk.
The study was done by Gordon McGranahan of the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, Deborah Balk of the City University of New York, and Bridget Anderson of Columbia University.
