Nearly half of China’s major cities are sinking, posing flood risks as sea levels rise, a study based on nationwide satellite data revealed.
The research, published in Science, found that 45% of China’s urban areas are sinking at rates exceeding 3 millimeters per year, with 16% sinking more than 10 mm yearly.
Reasons
The reason behind subsidence is attributed to declining water tables and the weight of urban infrastructure.
With China’s urban population surpassing 900 million, even a small portion of sinking land poses a substantial threat, the lead author of the study Ao Zurui from South China Normal University, said.
Annual Cost To China
Current subsidence costs China over $1.04 billion annually, and projections suggest that by the next century, about 25% of the coastal land could slip below sea levels.
Climate change expert Robert Nicholls claimed the issue is “a national problem and not a problem in just one or two places.”
The Chinese government will have to work extensively to mitigate the problem otherwise it could severely damage the economy in future.
