Sea level rising has put 100 million buildings at risk in global south, warn scientists. Does India face danger too?

Scientists have been warning against rising sea levels for a long but now the threat has become even bigger. If the studies are to be believed, then nearly 100 million buildings could be under threat in the global south by the end of the current century. The researchers say even if the countries around the world cut their greenhouse emissions as per the Paris Agreement, it won't be enough to save nearly five million buildings in the southern part of the world.

Which areas would be most impacted?

The study focuses on the impact of the rising sea levels in the global south consists of countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. The study, published in Urban Sustainability, explored various scenarios where sea level rose between 0.5 metre to 20 metres. A rise of five metres of more in the sea level will put nearly 100 million buildings at risk. If the water level rises at its lowest level of 0.5 metres, it would still be enough to flood nearly three million building in the explored area of the study.

“We were surprised at the large number of buildings at risk from relatively modest long-term sea level rise,” said Professor Jeff Cardile, co-author and professor at McGill University.

“Sea level rise is a slow, but unstoppable consequence of warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries," Professor Natalya Gomez said, co-author of the study and Canada Research Chair in Ice Sheet–Sea Level Interactions at McGill University.

How will India be impacted?

The study only took Southeast Asia's islands into consideration for the study as data on water-level rising in seas around the mainland in Southeast Asia was incomplete. This means that his research did not include India, which, doesn't come in Southeast Asia but in South Asia, could still be at risk given it is surrounded by water on three sides.