The World's Fastest Sinking Cities

From New Orleans to Jakarta, these six cities are sinking at a fast rate.

Almost under water


Rising sea levels due to climate change are turning cities into Atlantis. 6 of the world’s fastest sinking cities.


Jakarta


Parts of Indonesia's capital could be underwater by 2050 due to the combination of sinking land and sea level rise according to the World Economic Forum. The city is sinking up to 6.7 inches per year into the Java Sea. Indonesia has approved a 10-year plan to move its capital hundreds of miles away to protect the 10 million residents from flooding.


Houston


Over-extraction of groundwater has caused the sinking of the Texas city since the 1920s. Parts of Houston are sinking at a rate of 2 inches per year — as reported by the US Geological Survey. Making the city more vulnerable to increasingly frequent hurricanes.


Beijing


Parts of the Chinese capital are sinking at the alarming rate of 4 inches per year in line with the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Home to over 20 million people, Beijing is the 5th most water-stressed city in the world.


Bangkok


40% of Bangkok will be inundated by as early as 2030 due to extreme rainfall in consonance with the World Bank. With the weight of skyscrapers contributing to its descent into water, the capital is sinking up to 0.8 inches per year. In 2011, 815 people were killed and 13 million were affected by the worst floods in decades.


New Orleans


Much of the Big Easy’s land is already sinking. According to a 2016 NASA study, certain parts of New Orleans are sinking at a rate of 2 inches per year.It’s on track to be underwater by 2100 as reported by NASA.


Lagos


Rising sea levels are putting Nigeria’s most populous city increasingly at risk. A sea level rise of just 3 to 9 feet will have a “catastrophic effect”on human activities in Nigeria’s coastline based on data from the University of Plymouth.


Brut.


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Brut.