Losing 40% of the Mekong Delta if the sea level rises by one meter

One meter sea level rise, nearly 40% of the Mekong Delta area is submerged in water, which is the climate change scenario estimated for the end of this century, announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has just announced the latest scenario of climate change and sea level rise. Scenarios for climate change and sea level rise for Vietnam are based on estimates of global greenhouse gas emissions, including low, medium and high scenarios.

The highest tide in 15 years appeared on October 27 last year,
causing dozens of routes in Can Tho city to be submerged. (Photo: Gia Bao)

Under the high emission scenario, at the end of the 21st century, the entire coastal zone of Vietnam has sea level rise from 57-73cm, the area from Ca Mau to Kien Giang is the place with the highest sea level rise, to 105cm .

Dr. Tran Thuc, Director of the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment said, according to calculations, if the sea level rises above, there will be about 39% of the Mekong Delta area flooded; 35% of the population is affected.

Particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, 20% of the area will be directly affected by sea level rise.

In terms of temperature, by 2100, Vietnam has an average temperature of 1.6 to 3.7 degrees Celsius.

According to the UN assessment, Vietnam is one of the five countries most severely affected by climate change. Global warming will cause extreme weather events such as storms or hot weather, leading to flooding and drought. Rising seawater will intrude saltwater into coastal plains, affecting agriculture and fisheries - the livelihood of many millions of people.