Explanation:
China produces more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country, and its coastal cities will be dramatically affected by rising seas as the atmosphere warms, according to a November report by Climate Central, a nonprofit organization.
Barring large amounts of spending on shoreline barriers and flood control systems, these images show what China would face if carbon emissions cause global temperatures to rise by 2° Celsius (3.6°F), the current international target by 2100, or by 4° Celsius (7.2°F), roughly the warming predicted if no action is taken to curb emissions.
Shanghai
China's largest city, with a population of around 24 million at the edge of the East China Sea, has the most to lose from rising sea levels. Climate Central estimates that 76 percent of the Shanghai region's current population lives in areas that would eventually be underwater if the Earth warms by 4°C by 2100.
Current sea level
Yangtze
River
Shanghai
5 MILES
Sea level after
warming of
2°C
Yangtze
River
Shanghai
5 MILES
Sea level after
warming of
4°C
Yangtze
River
Shanghai
5 MILES
Tianjin
Tianjin has a lower elevation than its larger neighbor Beijing, and the city proper is home to about 11 million people. The rising waters created by a 4°C temperature increase would submerge about 29 percent of the area’s current population.
Current sea level
5 MILES
Tianjin
Sea level after
warming of
2°C
5 MILES
Tianjin
Sea level after
warming of
4°C
5 MILES
Tianjin
Shantou
The large southern port city of Shantou sits on a river delta surrounded by mountains, making it vulnerable to the encroaching ocean. Fifty-four percent of the current population lives below where sea level would end up following a 4°C warming scenario, in contrast to 22 percent for a 2°C increase.
Current sea level
Shantou
South China
Sea
5 MILES
Sea level after
warming of
2°C
Shantou
South China
Sea
5 MILES
Sea level after
warming of
4°C
Shantou
South China
Sea
5 MILES
Note: Because the elevation data used to model inundation tends to over-estimate the height of urban areas, rising seas would likely cover more than is shown on the map. Because of the difficulty of estimating how quickly ice will melt, the scenarios shown could develop over the course of several centuries.
