According to a new study, extreme weather will make coastal areas dangerous places to live as coastal flooding is expected to rise by around 50% globally due to climate change in the next 80 years. The study, published in Springer Nature’s Scientific Reports, flashes spotlight on the social and financial impact of climate change and was led by the University of Melbourne and involving the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The study stated that land area exposed to an extreme flood event will increase by more than 250,000 sq km globally, an increase of 48% or over 800,000 sq km. This would mean about 77 million more people will be at risk of experiencing flooding. It claims that there could be a ten-fold increase in extreme weather causing floods, such as storms and tsunamis. Also, this would threaten an area with an economy worth up to $14.2 trillion.
The worst affected area will be north-west Europe, while other hotspots include Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Bangladesh, south-east Africa and North America. According to the study. ‘A warming climate is driving rise in the sea-level because water expands as it warms, and glaciers are melting,’ said study lead author Ebru Kirezci at the University of Melbourne. Our research shows that large parts of communities residing in low-lying coastal areas are at risk of being devastated so we need urgent action, he added.
The study also maps out in great detail the impact of flooding caused by strengthening storm events and tides. Those events are predicted to be more damaging than the threat of slowly rising seas and will cause roughly 69% of coastal flooding by 2100.
