"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."
"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.'"
More than 100 million buildings could be submerged by 2100 under high sea level scenarios. Sea level rises of 0.5 metres would flood three million buildings in the Global South. A five-metre rise could put up to one sixth of all buildings in the Global South at risk. Even meeting Paris Agreement targets could still produce about 0.9 metres of sea level rise, flooding roughly five million buildings by century's end. The analysis combined high-resolution satellite imagery and elevation data to map building-by-building inundation across scenarios from 0.5 to 20 metres. Melting ice sheets, glaciers, and thermal expansion drive sea level rise, which will continue for centuries without rapid emissions cuts.
Read at Mail Online
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