Sea level rise is a pressing concern in around two-thirds of the world’s largest cities such as New York, Mumbai, and Shanghai. Secretary-General of the United Nations, AntΓ³nio Guterres, has cautioned that if appropriate action is not taken, rising sea levels could result in “a massive exodus of entire nations on biblical proportions.”
The severity of the issue
Global warming is affecting sea level by causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt, thus adding water to the oceans. Higher temperatures trigger the expansion of sea water, thereby increasing its volume. Since 1880, sea levels have risen by approximately 23 centimeters.
Although the extent to which sea levels will increase is dependent on how global warming progresses, scientists predict that if there is no halt to climate change, the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland might eventually move from a gradual melting process to collapsing altogether. The precise timing of this so-called tipping point is uncertain.
A study done by Denise Lu and Chris Flavel showed that nearly 150 million people currently reside on land that will be under high tide by mid-century. This number is expected to rise as people move to large cities located on the coast seeking a better life.
How cities can adapt
A.R. Siders, an assistant professor of climate change adaptation at the University of Delaware, has suggested several ways in which cities can cope with rising sea levels. One such strategy is for officials to avoid constructing buildings in flood-prone areas. They could also try to prevent water by building dams and breakwaters. They can adapt the city to higher sea levels by constructing more houses on high ground and fewer on low ground.
Another alternative is to withdraw or relocate houses and infrastructure to safer areas. This is exactly what the Indonesian government is doing by constructing a new capital on hillocks from scratch. According to the United Nations, large-scale retreat, the most extreme and costly form of adaptation, will soon become necessary. Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, employs permanent sand dunes and dams, as well as water storage tanks. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is looking to enhance drainage systems and shift freshwater supplies to protect against seawater intrusion. Of course, these projects require a considerable amount of money. Developing countries demand that wealthy countries, which are mainly responsible for climate change, honor their climate assistance obligations.
At the United Nations Climate Summit held in Glasgow in 2021, countries agreed to double the funds available for adaptation to developing countries by 2025, compared to levels seen in 2019. During this decade, developing countries, on average, need almost $200 billion yearly. The cost of adapting to climate change in developing countries is expected to reach $160-340 billion by 2030 and increase to $315-565 billion by 2050.
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