Many highly populated cities across the world rely on their location proximity to the coast for commerce and sustainability. Being located near large bodies of water allows for faster transportation for trading, and export/import routes. This easy access brings money and jobs to the cities which boosts economies. Trade and shipping are very important to the development of towns and cities as it creates jobs, and community development.
Close proximity to water aids in population growth because of the resources readily available such as food, drinking water, waste disposal, sanitation and of course faster transportation compare to cities who are landlocked. Many cities across the world are located at or below sea level. Even with dams, dykes and dunes, these cities can be prone to flooding. The global climate change is causing sea levels to rise which is creating a domino effect across the world.
According to Vanessa McKinney, author of Sea Level Rise and the Future of the Netherlands, the earth’s Polar Regions are becoming much warmer and for longer periods of time because of global warming causing glaciers and polar ice caps to melt rapidly. This is causing a drastic rise in sea levels. The rise in sea levels is making areas located at or below sea level more susceptible to flooding. Flooding is devastating to these cities causing social and economic devastation.
According to the United Nations “Water for Life” publication, “increasing water-related disasters such as flooding have enormous consequences on human health and well-being, safety, the environment, economic growth and development” (United Nations, 2014). This change in climate also affects the traditional patterns and strengths of storms now causing them to be more powerful and unpredictable. A perfect example is Hurricane Katrina. “New
Orleans sustained a direct hit from one of the worst hurricanes in U. S. history causing 1,833 fatalities over five states and resulted in a total economic loss of 81 billion dollars” (McKinney, 2007). This storm called for over 1. 2 million people to evacuate their homes as well as directly impacted several surrounding states with flooding and storm surges. It also indirectly affected the entire United States through long-term economic damage and the migration of thousands of people to new locations. re are many devastating consequences caused by flooding that can ripple down causing a series of long-term problems in a community.
These consequences range from ruined productive agricultural lands, property destruction, loss of homes and jobs, costly repairs to flood protection systems already in place and worst of all loss of lives. Rising sea levels can wreak havoc on many lives across the world. Agricultural lands will be inundated with floodwater while the economy will be swept away costing many their livelihood.
As we saw with hurricane Katrina and the people of New Orleans, it causes permanent displacement leaving many unable to return to their homes. Studies show that “higher socioeconomic classes are often able to adjust to environmental problems, because they can afford to live in areas with clean air, clean water and lower chance of flooding” (McKinney, 2007). When storms hit and seal levels rise, flooding causes people to relocate, sometimes just until the water recedes, but more often, permanently.
If flood control technologies cannot keep up with the global climate change and rising sea levels, then we may see more and more people migrating further inland leaving communities and cities to suffer devastating losses financially. Not only does flooding cause damage to agricultural production it also can cause substantial damage to infrastructures such as factories, processing facilities, ports for transporting the goods as well as make the land scarce causing an increase in prices which then leads to a conflict between countries.
With global warming being unpredictable, the sea level rise could be drastic or gradual, however the problem remains clear: future environmental conditions will directly impact cities, governments and lives around the world if a solution is not implemented. According to the IPCC, “the best outcome for lowering sea level rise would be a drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions. However, even under the best case scenario, the sea level will rise by about 0. meters at the turn of the century” (McKinney, 2007).
A large flood is capable of decreasing the actual land area causing a direct effect on housing, employment, goods, scarcity, prices increases and competitions and conflicts and tensions between cities and/or countries. It is imperative that we unite and take the necessary steps in preventing devastation across the world by slowing down global warming as well as increase awareness and implement better flood p-protection systems.
