SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday September 04 2018, @10:40AM
To be fair, much of the US is built on swamp. Manhattan, much of New Jersey, a fair bit of Chicago, Houston, almost all of Louisiana.
If you live near New Jersey, you might want to try something. Find just about anywhere within about five miles of the Pulaski Skyway. Stand there late at night, when traffic has died down (as much as it dies down in New Jersey). Watch the late night truck traffic on the skyway, while paying attention to the ground under your feet. A truck will hit a point on the skyway where it crosses one of the larger expansion dividers, and seconds later, you'll feel the impact under your feet. I thought I was imagining it at first, but it is very real. It's all swamp, and the shock carries very much like it would carry through open water.