Ten global cities could be underwater within decades as a result of rising sea levels, including two in the UK. Bangkok, Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City, New Orleans, Manila, Shenzhen, Hamburg and Dubai are all at risk of sinking beneath the waves, according to earth.org.
In Britain, Cardiff and London could be submerged within the next 100 years or even sooner as Greenland, the Arctic, Antarctica and the world’s permafrost zones see their snow and ice melt and the resulting water spreading around the planet.
Jim Dale, co-author of new book Surviving Extreme Weather, told Express.co.uk while the listed cities are in danger, there will be lots of places where people live at even greater risk, and sooner. He said: “Towns, villages and hamlets will go down first if sea level rises continue as climatologists, oceanographers and others think likely.”
Mr Dale, founder and senior meteorological consultant at British Weather Services, said in the future it won’t just be areas historically prone to flooding and extreme storms affected by rising water levels. The expert, who qualified as a meteorological observer at the Royal Navy’s School of Meteorology & Oceanography, said: “It’s not just about the position of these cities, but also what is underneath them.
“Bangkok is a concrete city built on a swamp so it’s more susceptible when water tables rise. The cities on the list are low-lying with massive rivers and near coastal areas.”
He warned inland areas will also suffer from the kind of flooding York, Gloucester and parts of the Pennines have seen in recent years. He added: “We’ve just had the wettest 18 months continuous on record. That is a signpost. Join the climate dots and they show us a picture of destruction and devastation.”
That scene includes crop failures, surging food prices and migration as well as the complete derailment of transport systems and spread of disease. Mr Dale said: “The paralysis that would follow would be acute. Our ‘normal’ way of life would cease to exist. Ask people who have been in floods how they coped. They wouldn’t have. When these disasters happen, there’s little we can do about them.
“This is what meteorologists, climatologists, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and Met Office are warning us about. This is what is ahead of us.”
This week alone saw Dubai hit by a torrential downpour with more than 142mm (5.6in) of rainfall soaking the desert city for 24 hours. In an average year 94.7mm (3.73in) of rain is recorded at Dubai International Airport on the Persian Gulf coast. Intense floods have also struck neighbouring Oman over recent days. Authorities on Thursday (April 18) raised the death toll from those storms to at least 21.
Flooding and sea level rises are not the only dangers, with wildfires and extreme weather events increasing in frequency due to our changing climate.
The IPCC has said limiting global warming to 1.5C above the pre-industrial period would limit the risk of increases in heavy precipitation, extreme drought and extreme heatwaves. It has said “large, immediate and unprecedented global efforts” are required to mitigate against planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Mr Dale said that while there is much to be alarmed about, there are reasons to stay positive about the future. He said: “Human beings and wildlife are born to survive. We are very good at surviving. If you’re in a flood, you do your best to survive.”
The former Fleet Air Arm meteorologist also pointed to technological progress and the growth of renewable energy sources to replace coal, oil and gas as reasons to feel optimistic about the future. However, he warned governments need to be doing much more to get to grips with the climate catastrophe and reach Net Zero. Mr Dale said people also need to prepare themselves for what’s to come.
This is one aim of Mr Dale’s new book, co-authored with US survivalist Mykel Hawke, which offers advice on what to do if you find yourself in the midst of a lightning storm, flood, earthquake, volcanic eruption and more extreme weather besides. He said of the work: “It doesn’t pull punches. Some of it feels like Doomsday. But the advice is there for a good reason – these things are happening to people.”
Surviving Extreme Weather: The Complete Climate Change Preparedness Manual by Jim Dale and Mykel Hawke is due to be published on April 25. It is available to pre-order on Amazon.
