Major cities are at risk of being submerged due to climate change and global warming

Major cities are at risk of being submerged due to climate change and global warming

IT IS hard to imagine the bustling streets of Melbourne and the beloved Federation Square underwater.

But it’s a reality that could certainly hit the major city, wiping out iconic shopping centres, homes and sadly the people who live there.

The good news is, we still have until 2100 to change this pending disaster.

Melbourne is just one of the major cities that is at risk of being dragged underwater, with sea levels predicted to rise more than eight metres across the world if we don’t reduce our carbon footprint.

A report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA found if the earth’s temperature climbed just four degrees by 2100, homes would be sinking in 200 to 2000 years because of the high sea level.

Even if the temperature increased by just two degrees, the sea level will still rise over four metres.

A global map has been created off the back of the report, giving people a visual understanding of exactly where will go under.

Looking at Melbourne, those in Docklands and other bayside suburbs are most at risk.

An analysis of the map found that a four-degree spike in the earth’s temperature will sink a number of major cities in Australia, an area that houses almost 1.9 million people.

If the temperature only increases by two degrees, 668,000 people will still be impacted.

Sydneysiders will not be protected either if the disaster goes ahead, especially those living in Marrickville.

You could also say goodbye to the Sydney airport.

If the earth’s temperature rises by four degrees, more than 760 million people across the world will be in danger.

If it climbs only two degrees then 130 million people will be at risk.

While things may seem bleak for Australians, China being the world’s leading carbon emitter may need to make some changes.

A whopping 145 million people will be impacted by a four degree temperature increase.

In Shanghai alone, 22.4 million people will be threatened.

If China limits its warming to two degrees, the number of people at risk will drop to 64 million, 11.6 million in Shanghai.

Other countries likely to be the greatest target for rising sea levels are India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan, where more than 40 million people are living on land that could be submerged.

Australia is not listed in the top 20 countries most in danger of rising sea levels.

After China most people are at risk in India (55 million), Bangladesh (48 million), Vietnam (46 million), Indonesia (44 million), Japan (34 million), United States (25 million), Philippines (20 million), Egypt (19 million), Brazil (16 million), Thailand (15 million), Myanmar (12 million), Netherlands (11 million), Nigeria (eight million), Malaysia (seven million), Mexico (six million), United Kingdom (six million), Italy (five million), South Korea (four million) and Taiwan (four million).

The report discovered the link between carbon emissions, the earth’s temperature and rising sea levels and said as long as emissions continued; the tally of people affected would increase.