Because of climate fluctuations, nine cities are at risk of drowning under water by 2030

Several major cities are in risk of being flooded as sea levels rise throughout the planet.

It might be tough to visualize global warming accurately. How can you know it's actually occurring if you're not directly endangered by increasing sea levels, water shortages, or wildfires? It might all appear a little hazy.

That is why initiatives like Climate Central are so important. This website generates maps that indicate where areas of the world may become submerged as a result of increasing sea levels. So, if the earth continues to warm – and pollution continues unabated - which towns across the world might be submerged as early as 2030? To discover out, we examined Climate Central's most recent maps, which are based on the IPCC’s 2021 report - in other words, some of the most recent data available.

Of course, there are several factors at play, but what we're interested in is what may happen if pollution continues on its current path. These maps depict projected sea levels (in red), but they do not depict what could happen during flooding or other severe weather events.

Between now and 2030, a lot may happen. We might construct flood defenses, modify our cities, and, ideally, take substantial measures to limit global warming if the COP26 negotiations proceed as planned. But, if none of those happens, the following are the possible outcomes: Within a decade, nine cities might be completely submerged (or partially submerged).

Cities that could be underwater by 2030

1. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

They're named the Low Countries for a reason. The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague are low, flat, and near to the North Sea. The Dutch are known for their flood defenses, and based on these sea-level estimates, it appears that the country's dikes, dams, barriers, levees, and floodgates will become even more important in the coming years. 

2. Basra, Iraq

Basra, Iraq's primary port city, is located on the Shatt al-Arab, a vast and broad river that flows into the Persian Gulf. Basra and its environs are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels due to its extensive network of canals and streams, as well as nearby wetlands. As if that wasn't bad enough, Basra already has a high rate of waterborne infections, making increasing floods even more dangerous.

3. New Orleans, USA

See those broad, crisp grey boundaries surrounding the center of New Orleans on the map above? That's the city's levee system, which keeps it safe from the swarms of red buildings that come from Lake Maurepas in the north and Lake Salvador and Little Lake in the south. New Orleans would be gravely endangered by increasing water levels if those defenses were not in place, but even with them, the devastation appears to be catastrophic. The Biloxi and Jean Lafitte nature preserves appear to be particularly endangered, since they appear to be almost completely submerged on the map.

4. Venice, Italy

Venice confronts a double threat in the foreseeable future: increasing sea levels and the city itself sinking - by two millimetres every year. Climate change is likely to increase the frequency of high tides that submerge the Venetian capital, which has already been hit by servere flooding. Venice, like New Orleans, has flood-defence systems in place, but they will become more difficult (and expensive) to maintain as the problem develops.

5. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The eastern districts of Ho Chi Minh City, notably the flat, densely built-up marshland of Th Thiêm, are the places most at danger, according to Climate Central's map. However, it appears that the city's position along the Mekong Delta will become increasingly precarious. While Ho Chi Minh City's central district is unlikely to be flooded by 2030, it will almost surely be more vulnerable to floods and tropical storms.

6. Kolkata, India

Because of its lush topography, most of west Bengal has prospered for ages, but as the map above illustrates, this has become a major source of concern in Kolkata and its environs. During the monsoon season, the metropolis, like Ho Chi Minh City, may struggle since precipitation has less ground to flow off onto. Even more alarming is this map depicting the possible situation in 2100.

7. Bangkok, Thailand

According to a 2020 research, Bangkok might be the city most affected by global warming in the short future. The Thai capital is barely 1.5 metres above sea level and is falling at a considerably quicker rate than Venice (approximately two to three centimetres each year). However, Bangkok is constructed on relatively solid clay soil, making it even more vulnerable to flooding. Most of the coastal Tha Kham and Samut Prakan regions, as well as the city's principal airport, Suvarnabhumi International, might be submerged by 2030.

8. Georgetown, Guyana

For decades, the capital of Guyana, Georgetown, has relied on sea walls — or, more precisely, one massive, 280-mile-long sea wall – to keep hurricanes at bay. Because the majority of the shoreline lies between 0.5 and one metre below high tide, this is the case. Guyana's coastline is home to 90% of the country's population, and as you can see, the country's sea wall will need to be significantly strengthened if Georgetown's core sections are to avoid major damage.

9. Savannah, USA

Savannah, Georgia, is located in a hurricane hotspot, yet the historic city might be eaten up by the sea on all sides even if no catastrophic weather events occur. The Savannah River to the north and the Ogeechee River to the south might potentially pour into surrounding wetlands, making the effects of storms and flash floods even more severe (by 2050, the city is expected to face once-in-a-century historical flood levels every year).