Rising sea level threatens inundating Mumbai, Karachi
Sydney,
Oct
22:
Rising
sea
levels
as
a
result
of
global
warming
threatens
inundating
21
major
cities,
including
Mumbai
and
Karachi,
a
new
report
by
the
WorldWatch
institute
has
revealed.
Other cities in the highly vulnerable risk category include New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Cairo, the 'State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future" report said.
Researcher Zoe Chafe said: “Although natural disasters are often presented as rare and unexpected tragedies, the reality is they now occur more frequently, affect more people and cause greater economic damage than ever before".
She said the world was already “seeing hints" of the way climate change would affect cities by amplifying natural hazards, including rising sea levels.
In the last century, oceans rose by between nine and 20 cms, which could increase up to 88 cms by 2100, she said.
As such, cities would need to plan ahead to avoid disaster, she added.
“This
hinges
on
awareness,
good
governance
and
the
empowerment
of
all
those
who
are
at
risk,"
news.com.au
quoted
Chafe,
as
saying.
ANI>