With changing climate comes changing sea levels. And for many areas that means a sea level rise. In this study by Ben Marzeion from the University of Innsbruck (Austria) and Anders Levermann from Potsdam University (Germany), looked at all 720 UNESCO World Heritage Sites to see what increasing sea levels would mean for them. The researchers decided to take a not-too unrealistic prediction of 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next 2000 years. Under this scenario, their models indicated that 136 sites (19%) would be impacted by sea level rise. Doesn’t sound too bad, on the grand scheme of things but those sites do include key heritage areas like the Sydney Opera House, the Tower of London, and Independence Hall. Check out some visualisations from The Weather Channel, created using ‘Drown your Town’.
But the researchers didn’t stop there. They also looked at how much of the current human population would be impacted by sea level rise. The same scenario indicated that 7% of the world’s population is living on land that will be undersea within 2000 years. Around 60% of those affected live in just 5 countries – China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Sobering thoughts for the future.
Image: 'Drown your Town' used on Cape Town, South Africa (50m rise - possibly a little extreme!). Credit: Drown your Town