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Millions threatened by climate change induced coastal flooding
The threat of coastal flooding on communities is one of the topics at the Competitive Cities and Cimate Change conference being held right now in Milan, Italy.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), nearly 200 million people across the world live in high risk coastal flooding areas.
The number of floods, storms, hurricanes and cyclones have increased due to climate change and people living in coastal towns are hardest hit by these events.
Some of the cities most in danger are Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai and Shanghai.
“Flooding is already on the rise due to increasing population living in flood plains, and climate change will make floods more frequent and severe, with an impact on deltas. The recent floods in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India are glimpses of a future that we need to start adapting to now,” Salvano Briceno, Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in Geneva, said.
Brigitte Leoni, Media Relations Officer at the UNISDR, told MediaGlobal why a majority of threatened populations live in the developed countries. “There are two reasons. First, more people are living in flood plains because there is no urban planning and people are not told that they are building in flood zones. Secondly, there is a growing scarcity of land. More people want to live in cities, forcing people to build their houses on cheaper, more dangerous land. Uncontrollable urbanization is feeding the growth of slums, reinforcing poverty, reducing community resilience, increasing disaster risk, and diminishing cities abilities to deal with disasters. The fact is that more cities are on coasts, exposing more people to future floods.”
In expanding areas, 50 to 70 percent of construction is informal or illicit. In Quito, Ecuador, officials recognize 60 percent of construction as informal. Likewise, in Mumbai, India, officials estimate that 50 percent of the population live in informal housing or slums.
Leoni continued, “The poor are the most vulnerable [to natural disasters] because they have the least means to adapt. They have no property insurance and little savings.”
“Risk assessments, evacuation plans, education and not building in flood prone areas, are some of the many cost-effective and reliable ways to prevent flooding from turning into a disaster. Many non-structural measures are within the financial means of most countries although they do require strong community participation,” said Briceno.
It is recommended that certain measures should be taken to help coastal towns if a disaster does strike. Measures such as setting up a warning signal for residents and protecting the most important public buildings, such as hospitals and schools.
Programs should be put in place such as poverty reduction, land use planning and participation from the whole community.
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October 10, 2008 at 01:50 pm by amyjudd, 221 views, 9 comments
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Comments (9)
at 17:04 on October 10th, 2008
amyjudd, keep an eye out for any maps or web pages which visually show the impact of rising ocean levels on coast lines.
at 00:39 on October 11th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 00:48 on October 11th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 08:01 on October 11th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. Climate change hits also the french riviera. Since 5 years heavy winter storms flooding the coast. Ports needed improvement. The beaches get less. A japanese group bought land up the hills, speculating in 20 years the beach airport of Nice will be under water.
at 22:08 on October 11th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 06:14 on October 12th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 03:20 on October 16th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 18:04 on October 19th, 2008
The photos by Haiti Innovation of recent floods in Haiti show the direct impact of climate change on the world's most vulnerable populations. The unfortunate environmental conditions in Haiti show how deadly it can be when the domestic and global disregard for the environment intersect.
at 09:02 on October 21st, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Thanks..
for this
and thanks for your help yesterday.
Peace,
campanaro