FX.co ★ Top-5 places most affected by climate change

Jakarta, Indonesia

The main Indonesian metropolis is located in the lowland and is surrounded by 13 rivers, which overflow their banks during the rainy season. In recent years, precipitation has become longer and more abundant. That is why flooding is already a regular occurrence. Today, Jakarta is the world’s fastest-sinking city. The fact is that over 40% of its area is below sea level. What is more, land subsidence becomes faster every year. Some scientists foresee that by 2050, 95% of the northern part of Jakarta will sink under water. That is why now, the local authorities are planning to remove the capital to a safer area.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The capital of Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world. More than 21 million people live there. The population rises by 400,000 every year. Overpopulation leads to such ecological problems as air pollution and land subsidence caused by the active pumping of water out of the ground. Every year, Dhaka slides by 1.4 cm, whereas the water level in the local gulf increases 10 times faster than the global average. All this results in floods. The situation is also aggravated by tropical downpours. Curiously, the city often suffers from severe drought.

Manila, Philippines

The capital of the Philippines is considered to be one of the most long-suffering cities in the world. The citizens have seen a great variety of natural disasters. Thus, tropical downpours and tsunamis lead to severe flooding. For example, the recent flooding took place this summer. As a result, over 14,000 people were urgently evacuated. Frequent typhoons, landslides, and earthquakes are also destroying the city. Last year, the country suffered five largest natural disasters. The forecast of scientists is not rosy. They suppose that cataclysms in this region will become even more frequent and more dangerous.

Lagos, Nigeria

Devastating floods have become a problem for the largest city in Nigeria. Every year, the elemental force takes the lives of dozens of people and affects the life of ordinary people. The country’s authorities annually allocate more than $4 billion to eliminate the consequences of a disaster and normalize the economic activity of the main port of the country. Nevertheless, they will hardly be able to prevent the largest threat. The fact is that by the end of the century, the sea level near the city may advance by 90 cm, if the average temperature in the world increases by 2°C compared to the pre-industrial era.

Los Angeles, US

Los Angeles, the main city of the cinema industry, has also faced a threat to go under the water. Over 60% of popular California beaches and around 20,000 coastal houses could disappear by the beginning of the next century, if the sea level rises by 2 m. However, it is not the main threat to the city. Now, scientists are preoccupied by the temperature growth in the region. Forest fires are a regular phenomenon there. What is more, by the beginning of 2100, California may face a new season, super summer, that is expected to be extremely hot.