Which cities are at risk of disappearing by 2050

According to the report The Future We Don’t Want by the international c40 cities network, by 2050 over 570 coastal cities will be exposed to rising sea levels and increasingly frequent flooding, with more than 800 million inhabitants at risk. the situation will worsen if urgent countermeasures are not taken at a global level, not only related to warming, but also to situations such as subsidence (sinking of the ground), water extraction, erosion or sediment loss. Ten exemplary cases.

Much of the city, the cradle of jazz, is already below sea level and is protected by a complex system of embankments and hydraulic pumps. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, billions were invested in improving defenses, but the ground continues to give way and the wetlands that served as natural barriers are diminishing. Experts believe that to save it we will have to spend more and more.

Not river deltas or lake basins, but very porous limestone rocks. The most famous city in Florida is located on this land and this causes sea water to infiltrate into the subsoil, bypassing dams and barriers. Added to this is the rising ocean, which already causes flooding during high tides. Due to these peculiarities, experts consider Miami one of the most difficult cases of climate adaptation to deal with.

Built on the basin of the ancient Lake Texcoco, the Mexican capital does not fear the sea but the land on which it rests. The massive extraction of water from the aquifers causes one of the fastest subsidences on the planet, with the ground sinking by approximately 20-30 cm per year. This leads to continuous damage to roads and infrastructure, making life in a megalopolis of 21 million inhabitants complex.

Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria is one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean. Today it is threatened by coastal erosion and global warming, which causes saltwater intrusion into the Nile Delta. According to various studies, it will have to get used to living with repeated floods, which will cause significant damage not only to agriculture but also to the precious archaeological heritage.

Located in the Chao Phraya River Delta, it is built on soft and unstable soils. Many areas of the city are less than two meters above sea level and studies predict an increase in coastal flooding over the next few decades. More intense monsoon rains and climate change risk plaguing a metropolis that is home to over 10 million people.

Built in the 5th century on the delta of 13 rivers, in recent years it has sunk by more than four meters and today around 40% of the urban area is already below sea level. This combination of subsidence and rising oceans has pushed the local government to invest 32 billion dollars to build a new capital, Nusantara, from scratch in the jungle of Borneo, where all activities will gradually move.

Capital of one of the states most exposed to typhoons and floods in the world, Manila is also grappling with the double problem caused by subsidence, generated by the excessive exploitation of aquifers, and by the rise of sea waters. Some areas of the metropolis are sinking by about two centimeters a year and, without radical interventions, could find themselves underwater by the end of the century.

The economic heart of Vietnam, it is located in a region extremely prone to flooding, with approximately 40-45% of the urban area less than one meter above sea level. In addition to rising oceans, the city must contend with subsidence caused by groundwater extraction, a combined effect that increases the risk of chronic flooding in many neighborhoods.