Mega-cities threatened by rising seas
Coastal cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change.
Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least eight million people by 2015, at least 21 are coastal and highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute.
They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Calcutta in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Bangkok, Thailand, and New York and Los Angeles in the US, according to studies by the United Nations and others.
More than one-tenth of the world’s population, or 643 million people, live in low-lying coastal areas at risk from climate change, say US and European experts.
Most endangered, in descending order, are China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, the US, Thailand and the Philippines.
