www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

   
 

Rising sea levels trigger fear over Shanghai's future

By Zou Huilin and Wu Chong (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-04-09 11:54

Shanghai, the pulse of China's economy and a city built on the coast, has a romantic name, which means "go to sea" - shang (going) hai (sea). Now the city faces the risk of actually going under the sea, according to new scientific claims. Scientists say rising sea levels, resulting from global warming, are moving so fast that many island nations and coastal cities will be submerged by 2050. The news has shocked Shanghai, a city of low elevation.

"From the water mark of the creek left on the bank after each downpour, I notice the creek surface is rising up gradually, a result of the sea level rise," said Dai Jian, an office clerk who was brought up in the area near the Suzhou Creek, a tributary of Huangpu River running across the center of Shanghai.

Dai has lived along the creek for 15 years and is only one of a few local people who have noticed the small year-on-year water level variation. But he is not the only one who is noticing the flood risk to the city.

Last Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations published its latest report on climate change, analyzing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the world's ecosystem.

It iterates that people who live in least developed countries, small island developing states, Asia's vast river deltas and most of Africa are most vulnerable to possible sea level rises resulting from global warming.

Two weeks ago, a report from the UK-based International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) named Shanghai and other Asian cities at risk showing a map of the predicted increasing sea levels.

The report, by both British and US scientists, says Asia accounts for two-thirds of the world's urban population and almost three-quarters of total population living in the low elevation coastal zones, which are located less than 10 meters above sea level. If Asian countries fail to act soon, the results could be catastrophic, the authors warn.

A research conducted by the Tianjin-based National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) also reveals that by 2050, the sea level at the Yangtze River Delta, where Shanghai is located, will have risen 20 to 60 centimeters. The Bohai Sea region, where Tianjin is situated, will have risen 30 to 60 centimeters, it claims.

Even the Shanghai municipal government admits there has been an obvious sea level rise in recent years. But it says the sea level increase was not due to the water flowing into the East China Sea.

Because the estuary near Shanghai is wide, the water gushing into the sea will not cause a sudden rise of sea level. Nonetheless, authorities are joining forces with scientists in making preparations.

Chen Manchun, a research fellow with the Tianjin marine information service, said experts in Tianjin, Shanghai, and other coastal cities are conducting more frequent observations on the sea level change, from the previous every one hour reports to the current recordings of every 5 minutes.

And several local experts are putting forward a plan to build a water gate near the Yangtze River estuary to prevent a sea storm in a bid to lower the risk of flooding, according to Zhang Zhenyu, the spokesperson of Shanghai Flood Risk Information Center under Shanghai Water Administration Bureau.

Lu Yongjin, a senior engineer at the Shanghai Engineering Institute, said it is feasible to build an 8.5-meter-high water gate near the Yangtze River estuary to the East China Sea.

He said construction of such a water gate is more efficient than heightening the current dykes of Huangpu River, which lies at the estuary of the Yangtze River, located near the bund of Shanghai.

The planned water gate is believed to be able to withstand the flooding aftermath of a serious storm, which could only occur every 10,000 years. The current 6.9-meter-high dyke can only withstand the storm that could occur every 200 years.

Lu said reinforcing the current dyke to 8.5 meters will cost 6 billion yuan ($780 million), however construction of a new gate will cost 4 billion yuan ($520 million). Building the water gate might cause shipping complications on the Yangtze River, but as far as preventing storms, it was a good solution, the engineer said.

The IIED report also suggests that Asian cities at risk should also consider resettlement strategies away from coastal areas. This concept poses a challenge for China, which has witnessed an obvious population movement towards the coast for decades.

"Coastal settlement, particularly in the lowlands, is likely to expose residents to seaward hazards such as sea level rise and tropical storms, both of which are likely to become more serious with climate change," it says.

Therefore, avoiding policies that favor coastal development, such as the special economic zones in China, and imposing more effective coastal zone management, could make a difference in the longer term in reducing the risks of sea level rise, according to the report.

The Chinese government has encouraged people to migrate west and is also considering a national plan to combat climate change. Details of this plan will be revealed soon.

The IPCC study estimates a 1-meter sea level rise would cost $944 billion, almost half of it in Asia.

Moving away from their beloved city by the sea is not what Shanghai people want. At the same time, they do not want the city to be wiped off the face of the earth.

"As a geologist, I know this (Shanghai being submerged by the sea) will happen one day, just as I know 7,000 years ago there was no Shanghai in the world," said Zheng Hongbo, head of the School of Ocean and Earth Science from Tongji University. "Scientifically, we accept the fact; but personally we cannot, because we have emotional ties with the city.

"We love Shanghai and do not want it disappear from the map."



Top China News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
主站蜘蛛池模板: 米奇777色狠狠8888影视 | 毛片免费视频网站 | 酒色影院 | 精品亚洲永久免费精品 | 国内一区二区 | 欧美一区二区三区激情视频 | 女人张开腿给男人捅 | 欧美一a级做爰 | 天堂免费在线视频 | 久久一区视频 | 国产欧美日韩精品在线 | 日韩美女一级视频 | 国产高清一区二区三区免费视频 | 在线播放国产视频 | 成人a毛片高清视频 | 特黄毛片 | 污全彩肉肉无遮挡彩色 | 9久9久女女热精品视频免费观看 | 亚洲国产中文字幕 | 一区二区三区在线播放 | 夜夜春夜夜夜夜猛噜噜噜噜噜 | 成年女人免费又黄又爽视频 | 国产午夜a理论毛片在线影院 | 欧美日本一区视频免费 | 日韩美女爱爱 | 免费一级成人免费观看 | 成人91在线 | 国产香蕉尹人综合在线观 | 国产孕妇孕交视频 | 99视频精品全国免费 | 国产精品日韩 | 国产成人咱精品视频免费网站 | 色综合a怡红院怡红院首页 色综合精品久久久久久久 色综合九九 | 免费看特黄特黄欧美大片 | 亚洲人成在线免费观看 | 亚洲精品亚洲人成人网 | 亚洲午夜精品 | 国产三级在线观看视频 | 国产一级片免费 | 成人男女网18免费看 | 亚洲精品久久久中文字 |