Scientists predict that Kolkata and eight other cities will be flooded by 2100 as global warming is expected to increase sea levels and lead to more intense rainfall. Scientists believe that several world’s cities will be flooded and submerged in water in the coming 75 years as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, Mail Online reported.
According to experts, global warming will be the reason behind this large-scale catastrophe that will inundate major cities by 2100. It is expected that the sea levels will rise by up to 6.2 feet (1.9 metres) if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to increase, according to Singapore experts. Let’s discover all the cities that are most vulnerable to rising sea levels and will be one of the first to get submerged in water. Given below is the list of nine cities that are most at risk of inundation.
- Bangkok, Thailand
- New Orleans, USA
- Hull, UK
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Hamburg, Germany
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Venice, Italy
- Kolkata, India
- Gold Coast, Australia
Why do scientists predict floods in these cities?
According to scientists, intense torrential rainfall happens due to climate change triggered by global warming. Rising temperature of the earth leads to warmer air which has the capacity to hold more moisture. Empirical evidence shows, rainfall increasing on average across the world which implies that there are higher chances of flooding.
United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Global Resource Information Database Director in Geneva, Pascal Peduzzi said, “While it is difficult to make a direct link between an individual extreme event and climate change, it is clear that we need to be prepared to face more intense and more frequent extreme hydro-meteorological events due to climate change.”
United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report outlining climate crisis that leads to disasters which are worse than scientists originally predicted. As earth registers rising temperatures on record, the extreme weather often results in natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires.
As record-breaking floods are becoming the new normal, UN environment programme said, “Floods are made more likely by the more extreme weather patterns caused by long-term global climate change. Change in land cover—such as removal of vegetation—and climate change increase flood risk.”
