Climate change has led to water levels going haywire the whole world over, and scientists are fearing that there are some notable cities that may be totally submerged in water before too long. From Amsterdam to Miami, join ViewCation as we explore cities that will be underwater by 2030.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a city that’s located in the Netherland. The Netherlands is often referred to as “the Low Countries”. In fact, that’s essentially what the world “Netherlands” translates to! The country of the Netherlands certainly makes good on the promise of their name, as it is exceptionally low in relation to sea level. Over the years, the Netherlands has been notoriously susceptible to flooding, which is something that the Dutch people have become particularly good at preparing for. The Dutch people may be good at preparing for floods, but nothing will prepare them for total submersion.
Amongst all the cities in the Netherlands, Amsterdam isn’t the only one that’s at risk for sinking fully into the water in the near future. Another Netherlands city that is at risk for being underwater by 2030 is Rotterdam. The Dutch people are going to have their work cut out for them trying to keep these cities afloat as climate change worsens. Of the two Netherlands cities, Amsterdam’s loss will be most notable. As far as flood protection goes, Amsterdam has plenty of protection to keep the waters out. Some of the forms of protection that the Netherlands city has used against flooding include dikes, dams, and levies. The Dutch people are likely going to start increasing their protection as water levels continue to rise. It remains to be seen whether or not Amsterdam will be able to ward off the impending flood!
Basra
Basra is another city that’s liable to find itself underwater sooner rather than later. As compared to Amsterdam, Basra is located in the country of Iraq. Basra has come to be considered the country’s main port city, with it’s location along the Shatt al-Arab. For those that don’t know, the Shatt al-Arab is an exceptionally wide river that feeds directly into the Persian Gulf. This location along the Shatt al-Arab makes Basra a bustling place, and the bustling nature of the city means that it’s going to be a disaster when it goes underwater. There are two reasons why Basra is at such a great risk for flooding. For one thing, there is a dense network of streams and canals working their way through the popular port city. For another thing, Basra is surrounded on all sides by marshland. As water levels increase, this marshland is likely going to flood the city.
Besides the fact that Basra going underwater is likely going to spell disaster for the country of Iraq and it’s commerce, there’s also another danger posed by flooding in Basra. The city of Basra has long-since been notorious for it’s preponderance of waterborne diseases. As one might’ve guessed, these waterborne diseases have been so prevalent in Basra as a result of the city’s overlying wetness. As the city continues to get wetter and wetter, waterborne diseases are only gong to become more and more of a problem. It remains to be seen whether the people of Basra will be done in first by the flooding or the surplus of deadly diseases!
New Orleans
Most viewers will likely be aware of the fact that New Orleans is no stranger to water-centric disasters. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans. The natural disaster quite literally took the city by storm. This came in spite of the fact that the city had a system of levees put in place to prevent flooding. The levees didn’t hold up to Hurricane Katrina, and it’s more than likely that they aren’t going to be able to hold up to impending climate change.
Some of the reasons that New Orleans is so susceptible to flooding include the fact that there are two giant bodies of water surrounding it. On the north side of New Orleans is Lake Maurepas. On the south side of the city, then, would be Lake Salvador. There’s also another lake on the south side of the city by the name of Little Lake. When these three lakes are put together, it doesn’t paint a very pretty picture for the people of New Orleans in the upcoming years. Those that would like to get an idea of the fate that awaits New Orleans need only look at the nearby Biloxi and Jean Lafitte wildlife preserves. It used to be that both of these reserves were well above water. Now, they’re almost entirely submerged. The people of New Orleans should get out while they still can, as there aren’t that many years left!
Venice
Amongst all the cities that are liable to be underwater by 2030, there are some that have it worse than others. One of the cities that have it worse than the other is Venice. The reason that Venice is at such a disadvantage in relation to it’s doomed brethren is the fact that increasing water levels aren’t the city’s only problem. In addition to the water rising up around Venice, the city itself is also sinking into the ground. The city of Venice is said to be sinking into the ground at a rate of two millimeters every year. While this might not sound like much, it certainly doesn’t help when your city is already at risk for being eaten by the ocean!
Like the aforementioned cities of Amsterdam and New Orleans, Venice is a city that has plenty of safety nets in place to protect against flooding. However, once again, these safety nets likely aren’t going to hold up to worsening climate change. Flooding in Venice is only going to continue to get worse and worse until the entire Venetian capital city is submerged underwater! Venice will be greatly missed.
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam is another country that’s going to be facing disaster in upcoming years due to climate change. In particular, the area of Vietnam that is most at-risk would have to be Ho Chi Minh City. As compared to all of the previous cities that we’ve taken a look at in this video, scientists aren’t predicting that Ho Chi Minh City is going to be completely submerged by 2030. However, it’s going to be pretty close! It seems that the most vulnerable areas of Ho Chi Minh City are those to the east. These sections of the city are liable to be fully submerged by 2030, but other areas aren’t. However, just because some areas of Ho Chi Minh City aren’t fully submerged by 2030 doesn’t mean that the city is going to be any fun to live in! As flooding continues to worsen, so will the living conditions in the city. By 2030, it is believed that any areas of Ho Chi Minh City that reside above the water will be susceptible to some fairly serious tropical storms.
Kolkata
Heading over to the Bengal region in India, Kolkata is another city that stands a good change of being significantly submerged by 2030. Like the aforementioned Ho Chi Minh City, scientists are predicting that Kolkata is going to be fully submerged. Still, it’s not going to be a great place to live! Like with Ho Chi Minh City, increasing flooding in Kolkata is going to lead to more violent tropical storms even if there are some areas of land that are still above water. Though parts of Kolkata will likely still be above water by 2030, 2100 is a different story. Scientists are predicting that, by 2100, the city of Kolkata will be all but entirely submerged in the water.
Bangkok
Of all the cities that are liable to be submerged in water by 2030, Bangkok arguably has it the worst of all. Like Venice, Bangkok isn’t just in danger because of rising water levels. Bangkok is also sinking into the ground, but it’s doing it at a much faster rate than it’s Italian cousin! Bangkok is sinking into the ground at a rate of around two centimeters a year. Once again, this might not seem like much. However, it’s a lot more significant when you consider the fact that Bangkok is already hanging onto dry land by a thread. Bangkok is especially susceptible to flooding due to it’s dense soil. By 2030, it is believed that most of the city will be underwater.
Georgetown
Located in the South American country of Guyana, Georgetown is yet another city that is likely to be underwater by 2030. Georgetown has been protected against flooding for centuries by a sea wall. The sea wall protecting Georgetown is 280 miles long, but it’s arguably going to need to be a good deal taller than it already is if it wants to protect the city from the upcoming effects of climate change.
Savannah
Another American city that’s slowly being submerged underwater is Savannah, Georgia. The city has always had some extremely wet weather, but things look as if they’re only going to get worse in the years leading up to 2030. Like New Orleans, some notable bodies of water neighbor Savannah. To the north of the city is the Savannah River, while the Ogeechee River can be found just to the south.
Miami
Finally, let’s end this video by taking a look at one last American city. Miami, Florida, is another American city that scientists are predicting may be totally submerged by the end of the decade. Miami resides right on the coast.
If the climate keeps changing at the rate that it is, all of the aforementioned cities are likely to be significantly submerged by the time that the decade is up. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that numerous cities throughout the world are likely going to be underwater by 2030, and that these include Amsterdam and Venice? Comment down below!