China's coastal land development policies may outweigh climate change in future flood risks

China's coastal land development policies may outweigh climate change in future flood risks

As global temperatures rise, thermal expansion of oceans and melting ice sheets are driving up sea levels worldwide. In many coastal areas, land subsidence—caused by groundwater extraction and rapid urbanization—further exacerbates flood risks. However, a new study reveals that in China, policy decisions on where and how to develop coastal land may have a more significant impact on future flooding than climate change itself.

Development Policy, Not Just Climate Change, Will Affect China’s Coastal Flood Future: Report

The report said under the current standards 19% of the population and 22% of the GDP will be exposed to flooding. A new study found that China’s future flood risk along its coastline will primarily be determined by government policy rather than the anticipated global sea level rise. The report, published in Nature, predicted that coastal policies will be the primary factor influencing flood occurrence by the year 2100.  China’s coast is home to …