Nature: In 2050, almost the whole South is submerged under the tide

New research indicates rising sea levels will worsen coastal areas. By 2050, much of South Vietnam will be submerged at the peak of the tide.

According to new research, the population affected by sea level rise will probably triple by 2050 compared to previous estimates, wiping out many major coastal cities.

The research, by Climate Central , a New Jersey-based science organization, was published in the October 29 issue of the journal Nature.

A comparison of the results of the old and newly published research on the effects of sea level rise on southern Vietnam.(Graphic: New York Times).

In particular, the authors based on satellite index to recalculate the height of the land and the effects of sea level rise in a large scale. The results show that by 2050, the habitat of about 150 million people will likely be submerged by seawater.

Southern Vietnam is also one of the areas that could disappear.

The first map shows the previous forecast of the effects of sea level rise by 2050. However, the second map indicates that the magnitude of the impact could be much worse at high tide.

More than 20 million people in Vietnam, or 1/4 of the population, currently living in the land will be flooded. Much of Ho Chi Minh City will be underwater.

Most of Bangkok will also be submerged due to sea level rise by 2050. (Graphic: New York Times).

In Thailand, more than 10% of the population is living in flood-prone areas by 2050, 10 times more than previously estimated. The capital Bangkok is also in the seriously affected area.

Loretta Hieber Girardet, who lives in Bangkok and works for the United Nations, believes that climate change and global warming will make poor farmers flock to find jobs in cities.

"This is a pretty bad situation , " she told the New York Times.

In Shanghai, rising sea levels are likely to engulf the city center and many other surrounding areas. However, the results of this study are not meant to put an end to the affected areas.

Latest figures show that about 110 million people in these areas are already below the tide level. This was explained by Mr. Benjamin Strauss, Managing Director of Climate Central, thanks to measures to build sea dikes and walls.

Influence of sea level rise to Shanghai in 2050. (Graphic: New York Times).

But even with such investment, the preventive measures will only work to a certain extent. Strauss, for example, took the example of the city of New Orleans completely submerged in water when the dyke system and embankment broke down during Hurricane Katrina.

"How deep do we want to live in a bowl?" He asked.

The study also warns now that countries should start preparing for resettlement.

"We tried to ring the bell. We knew this was about to happen," said Dina Ionesco, of the International Organization for Migration, adding that this could be one of the migrations. with the largest scale ever.

1. 20% of Saigon area is flooded when sea level rises by one meter