Voice of America
24 Sep 2022, 01:39 GMT+10
New Delhi, India - Sprawling coastal cities in South and Southeast Asia are sinking faster than elsewhere in the world, leaving tens of millions of people more vulnerable to rising sea levels, a new study says.
Rapid urbanization has seen these cities draw heavily on groundwater to service their burgeoning populations, according to research by Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, published in the journal Nature Sustainability last week.
'This puts cities experiencing rapid local land subsidence at greater risk of coastal hazards than already present due to climate-driven sea-level rise,' the study says.
Vietnam's most populous urban center and main business hub, Ho Chi Minh City, was sinking an average of 16.2 millimeters (0.6 inches) annually, topping the study's survey of satellite data from 48 large coastal cities around the world.
The southern Bangladeshi port of Chittagong was second on the list, with the western Indian city Ahmedabad, Indonesian capital Jakarta and Myanmar's commercial hub Yangon also sinking more than 20 millimeters in peak years.
'Many of these fast-subsiding coastal cities are rapidly expanding megacities, where ... high demands for groundwater extraction and loading from densely constructed building structures, contribute to local land subsidence,' the study says.
Sinking cities are not of themselves a result of climate change, but researchers said their work would give a better insight into how the phenomenon would 'compound the effects of climate-driven mean sea-level rise.'
More than 1 billion people will live in coastal cities at risk of rising sea levels by 2050, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The IPCC says that global sea levels could rise by up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) by the end of the century, even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced.
Get a daily dose of Northern Ireland News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Northern Ireland News.
More InformationBERLIN, Germany: Volkswagen is set to cut 1,600 jobs at its Cariad software division by the end of the year, affecting nearly 30 percent...
The principal terminal, Terminal 1, at Israel's largest airport will reopen at the end of this month, having largely been closed since...
NEW YORK, New York - The knee-jerk introduction of trade tariffs by President Donald Trump continues to rattle markets with all the...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Ford announced this week that it will inject up to $4.8 billion into its struggling German unit to stabilize its...
SEATTLE, Washington: Boeing has revamped its employee incentive plan, tying annual bonuses for more than 100,000 workers to overall...
WINNIPEG, Manitoba: Farmers in the U.S. and Canada are bracing for soaring fertilizer prices as trade tensions escalate between the...
BEIJING, China: China has announced new tariffs on Canadian agricultural and food products in retaliation for Canada's recent duties...
ENNIS, Texas: A man died, and three of his family members were injured when their RV flipped several times during a strong storm at...
One halcyon spring day in 1903, the 69-year-old anatomist and naturalist Dr. James Bell Pettigrew sat at the top of a sloping street...
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: Air Force fighter jets have stopped a civilian plane that entered restricted airspace near Donald Trump's...
CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, D.C.: Farmers and food groups across the U.S. are laying off workers, stopping investments, and struggling to get...
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota: A new South Dakota law banning the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines has cast doubt on...