Huge regions of countries could end up underwater by 2050 due to the rise of the Oceans
Scientists have discovered that 300 million people currently live on land that, by 2050, will suffer periodic flooding due to the rise of the oceans. This new figure triples an estimate made previously by NASA, which had been calculated as 80 million.
The most recent prediction, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, used a more precise model that does not confuse the top of the trees with the surface. Thus they concluded that vast swaths of nations such as Vietnam and India will be underwater.
“These calculations show the potential of climate change to transform entire cities and economies in the span of our lives,” said Scott Kulp, senior author of the study and senior scientist at Climate Central, in statements to The Guardian.
The areas at risk include large portions of highly populated Asian cities such as Bombay, which is home to some 18 million people and could be completely underwater within the next 30 years. In general, India and China, due to their overpopulation, will be the nations most affected by the annual floods.
Also, in Europe, the United Kingdom could be one of the most affected, with approximately 3.5 million people in danger of seeing their homes invaded by water.
As for the United States, according to researchers, it will not be one of the most affected areas. However, several coastal regions may soon be submerged, especially states such as New Jersey or Florida.
And while these projections are worse than those of previous models, the study indicates that everything depends on the volatile ice sheets of Antarctica, which continue their icy hemorrhage into the oceans. In the worst-case scenario, if the instability of these layers is even greater, as much as 640 million people could be threatened by the year 2100.
As reported by The Guardian, the World Bank has projected the cost of climate change globally at about $ 1 trillion annually.
Source: Daily Mail
