Tech

Shocking pictures show what rising sea levels could do to major cities

Chris Weller
2015-11-10T17:00:00Z
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Climate Central

A few degrees can make a world of difference.

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According to a new report headed by Climate Central, a science-based nonprofit news site, the difference between climate change raising global temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius — a virtual certainty, by many scientists' measure — and 4 degrees is vast.

It's enough to put pieces of some of the world's most treasured cities underwater.

Artist Nickolay Lamm, working with Climate Central, shows us what those catastrophic scenarios might look like over the next century.

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London, England. At 2 degrees warmer, the Westminster Bridge has only slightly begun to overflow, though the rest of the city is already in trouble.

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At 4 degrees warmer, London becomes Venice.

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Sydney, Australia. The iconic opera house towers over the harbor, even at 2 degrees warmer.

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Sydney, Australia. Climate Central

Not so once the temperature rises another 2 degrees.

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Not much changes from the warmer climate at 2 degrees, at least in this part of the city.

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That all changes once the sea levels rise above the beaches at 4 degrees.

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Mumbai, India. An already impoverished region struggles with modest temperature increases.

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A couple more degrees wipe out everything.

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Shanghai, China. The coastal city sees immediate flooding with a 2 degree increase ...

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... And even more as the world warms to 4 degrees.

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New York City, New York. Though it sits on an island, the iconic Wall St. bull remains safe at 2 degrees. (The flooding in the background is a bad omen, however.)

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But the bull — and much of the rest of downtown — is underwater at 4 degrees.

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Durban, South Africa. If things seemed manageable at 2 degrees warmer ...

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... they probably don't at 4.

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