Rising sea levels could plunge more than 100 million buildings underwater by 2100, scientists have warned.
The experts in Canada estimated how many buildings in Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America would be flooded by different sea level changes.
Their assessment found that sea level rises of just 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) would flood three million buildings in the global south alone.
However, if emissions aren’t curbed soon, sea levels could rise by over 16 feet (five metres) in the next century – putting up to a sixth of all buildings in the global south at risk.
Worryingly, the researchers at McGill University in Montreal say that much of this destruction is now practically unavoidable.
Even if the terms of the Paris Agreement are met, sea level rises of up to three feet (0.9 metres) will likely flood five million buildings by the end of the century.
Co-author Professor Natalya Gomez says: ‘Sea level rise is a slow, but unstoppable consequence of warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries.
‘People often talk about sea level rising by tens of centimetres, or maybe a meter, but in fact it could continue to rise for many meters if we don’t quickly stop burning fossil fuels.’
Scientists have used satellite maps to work out how many buildings would be destroyed if sea levels rise between 0.5 metres (red) and 20 metres (yellow). In the worst-case scenario, over 100 million buildings would be flooded in the global south alone
The researchers focused their analysis on the Global South – the bottom half of the world comprising Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America – but they’ve created a map showing what flooding would look like worldwide.
In their first large-scale, building-by-building assessment of its kind, the researchers combined high-resolution satellite information and elevation data.
Using this, they were able to estimate how many buildings would be inundated under various sea level scenarios, from increases of 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) up to 65 feet (20 metres).
As the climate warms, sea levels rise due to the melting of polar ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the fact that water in the oceans expands as it heats up.
Scientists currently believe that 1.6 feet of sea level rise will occur even if governments around the world take rapid measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
When this occurs, the researchers predict that millions of buildings will be permanently plunged underwater, with many more placed within the high tide mark.
The researchers’ flooding map shows that large parts of UK coastal towns, such as Great Yarmouth, will be permanently underwater, while massive areas of cities like London will be beneath the high tide mark.
In London, tidal flooding will extend as far as Peckham in the south and Barking in the north.
If immediate action is taken to curb emissions, sea levels will rise by just 1.6 feet (0.5 metres). However, this will already put large parts of London under the high tide mark
Under the best-case scenario of 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) of sea level rise, entire towns in the Northeast could be submerged during high tide
