As Temperatures Increase, Maps Show Sea-Level Rise Will Devastate Cities

Emily Cassidy presents a series of dynamic maps showing the effects of climate change on five especially vulnerable cities around the world. “Using Climate Central data hosted on Resource Watch, we can explore areas likely to be flooded by 0.5 and 1.5 meters of sea level rise,” writes Cassidy.

The cities include New Orleans and New York; Guangzhou, China; Mumbia, India; and Osaka, Japan. Each city faces its own challenges and threats. For example, Guangzhou and Osaka are big port cities and Mumbai, with 12 million people, is the most populous city in India.

Cassidy says that these maps show how potentially devastating rises in sea level will be for major cities:

It’s clear from these maps that every foot of sea level rise matters. The next few years are crucial for avoiding catastrophic damage. The good news is we have the tools we need to make far-reaching changes to how we power our homes and businesses, grow our food and design our cities.

Resource Watch also provides a platform for users to create maps related to a number of other climate change effects.