Climate change doesn’t care about developed vs. developing. It will hit all areas equally. The only difference will be in how well each country is prepared to handle the catastrophe.
Climate change is threatening to submerge our coastal cities. With melting glaciers releasing water into the rivers and eventually the oceans, water levels will increase considerably faster than they already are.
At COP26, leaders from around the world are working to find answers to climate change and the looming tragedies that await us in the future. It is possible that some of our favourite cities in the globe will be underwater before or by 2030.
As the sea level rises, a new map has been made by Climate Central to show which portions of the planet will be underwater by the year 2030. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations group that analyses climate change science, provided the data for the map.
The current trajectory of pollution is the single underlying factor that determines the list’s order. However, based on what we’ve observed in recent years, it appears that the following six cities (including one from the United States, India) could be underwater in less than a decade’s time.
This is a list of six cities that could be submerged by 2030.
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Amsterdam, the Netherlands’ most popular tourist attraction, is known for its love of bridges, marijuana, and nightlife. Unfortunately, Amsterdam is located in the “Low Countries,” which includes Rotterdam and the Hague.
Amsterdam appears to be in the path of increasing sea levels even if the Dutch have perfected flood defence science.
Basra(Iraq)
Basra, Iraq’s main port, is located on the Shatt al-Arab river, which flows into the Persian Gulf. Basra, surrounded by extensive marshlands, may be largely or entirely drowned by the end of the decade.
New Orleans (United States)
New Orleans already has a famous system of levees protecting it. Even yet, the city must do more to survive.
Venice (Italy)
As a popular tourist destination, Venice is well-known for its extensive waterway network. As a tourist, we recommend visiting Venice as soon as possible, before much of the city is flooded.
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Most of the eastern part of Ho Chi Minh City, along the marshy plains of Thu Thiem near the Mekong River, may be submerged by 2030.
A number of phenomena, such as flash floods and storms, might make it uninhabitable even if the city doesn’t sink.
Kolkata (India)
Kolkata, India’s West Bengal capital, faces a new challenge if it hopes to preserve its rich cultural heritage.
Large swaths of Kolkata might be submerged by flooding before 2030. Do you travel to Kolkata every year during the festival season to savour a genuine experience of the Durga Pujo celebration? Pressure political leaders to take climate change and its repercussions more seriously now may be the best moment to do it.
Do you want to visit a city on this list before it becomes a victim of rising sea levels and other climate change-related disasters? We’d love to hear from you!
Source: Sea level rise map and coastal flood tool — US and global. (2021). Climate Central and Sixth Assessment Report. (2021). IPCC.
Image Credit: Getty
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