Drowning Cities
Global warming is a serious threat to the whole world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) report in 2008 said that the global temperature will rise by 1.50 C within 2032 and 2050. This is mainly due to man-made activities and an effective restriction on these activities is the only remedy to control the temperature.
Main cities that face a threat are:
Jakarta (Indonesia)
· The city that is drowning fast
· Altitude from MSL is 8 meters
· Sea level increases by 24.5 cm’s
· 40% of the land is situated below sea level
· Deforestation of mangroves, concrete building clusters and exploitation of underground water etc are the main causes for this.
Manila (Philippines)
· 7 cities are under threat as the sea level increases
· The city is located 5 meters above the MSL
· This level increases by 10 cm’s every year
Bangkok (Thailand)
· As per the report of the government in 2015, 40% of the city will drown within 15 years.
· Located 1.5 meters above MSL
· Sea level increases by 1- 2 cm’s
London (UK)
· The sea level would increase by 4 meters by 2100
· West Minster bridge, parliamentary houses etc would drown by then
· Thames Barrier created to control flood has to use six or seven times annually which points to the gravity of the situation
Lagos (Nigeria)
· A half of the population lives in coastal areas
· By 2050 most part of the city will be under water
· There is a precautionary act of building sea wall which is 6.5 km’s long.
Shanghai (China)
· Located 8 meters above MSL
· .1 and .3 cm’s of water level increase annualy
Houston (US)
· Though situated 15 meters above MSL the sea level rises by 2 meters annually.
· The researchers say that the city has lost a part of it.
Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Mumbai (India) are also under threat. This situation can be confronted only through a collective effort. The main points that we could keep in mind are:
· Reduce the emission of CFC’s
· Reduce concrete buildings
· Ensure the replenishing of underground water
· Promote Eco-friendly constructions
· Reforestation
Earth is a gift that we owe to the posterity.
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