Global mean sea level rose by 4.5 mm per year during the period 2013-22 and human influence was very likely the main driver of these increases since at least 1971, the World Meteorological Department (WMO) said.
Sea level rise threatens several low-lying small islands. It is a major threat for countries such as India, China, Netherlands and Bangladesh, some of which comprise large coastal populations.
Several big cities on all continents are threatened such as Mumbai, Shanghai, Dhaka, Bangkok, Jakarta, Maputo, Lagos, Cairo, London, Copenhagen, New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Santiago. It is a major economic, social and humanitarian challenge, the WMO said in a report.
Sea-level has risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in at least the last 3,000 years. The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than since the end of the last deglacial transition (around 11,000 years ago).
The population, potentially exposed to a 100-year coastal flood is projected to increase by about 20 per cent if global mean sea level rises by 0.15 m relative to 2020 levels; this exposed population doubles at a 0.75 m rise in mean sea level and triples at 1.4 m without population change and additional adaptation.
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