With rising sea levels, Bangkok struggles to stay afloat.
As Bangkok prepares to host climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade.
[...] As temperatures rise, abnormal weather patterns—like more powerful cyclones, erratic rainfall, and intense droughts and floods—are predicted to worsen over time, adding pressure on governments tasked with bringing the 2015 Paris climate treaty to life.
Bangkok, built on once-marshy land about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level, is projected to be one of the world's hardest hit urban areas, alongside fellow Southeast Asian behemoths Jakarta and Manila.
"Nearly 40 percent" of Bangkok will be inundated by as early as 2030 due to extreme rainfall and changes in weather patterns, according to a World Bank report.
Currently, the capital "is sinking one to two centimetres a year and there is a risk of massive flooding in the near future," said Tara Buakamsri of Greenpeace.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 03 2018, @10:59PM
Bangkok is accustomed to a high water table. Khlongs (canals) criss-cross the city. You can take tour boats or water taxis all over the place. With terrestrial traffic atrocious and choking in a cloud of blue exhaust, it's often the fastest and best way around.
So with a little hydro-engineering the Thai should be fine. They can ask the Dutch for help if they need to, but probably would manage fine on their own because they've been building systems like that for centuries.
They would have to pause fighting each other for a while, though; they've been having street battles between political factions for the last several years.
Washington DC delenda est.