Rich nations also at risk from floods
Print Edition
IT has long been thought that wealthy countries, bolstered with more money for infrastructure investment, face lower risks of flooding.
But new research has found that rich countries face major risks as climate change and human activity render coastal populations increasingly vulnerable to devastating river delta floods.
Though wealthy nations have greater resources to protect against flooding, such as dams, climate change could increase the frequency and severity of floods and storms to a level that those nations may be challenged to keep pace with due to costs, according to a study in the US journal “Science.”
Man-made changes are also increasing the risk that coastal communities face, the study found.
As more land is used for agricultural production, for example, erosion occurs that reduces natural protections against flooding, the research found.
The researchers calculated the challenges that more than 340 million people could face in 48 major coastal delta river communities around the world.
They flagged up the Mississippi and the Rhine delta as potentially vulnerable, and said in some cases, the risk multiplied by four or eight times.
The study said infrastructure is key to preventing flooding and recommended that wealthy nations make wise investments now.
“Economic ability and decisions to deploy engineering solutions will be key factors in determining how sustainable deltas become in the long term,” the study said.
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