Rescuers evacuate children from flooded areas in Catarman town, Philippines, November 21, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Over the past two decades, sea level rise has already increased the flood risk for 14 million people in coastal areas. This risk is expected to grow nearly fivefold by 2100, affecting nearly 73 million people.

The UNDP, in collaboration with the Climate Impact Lab (CIL), unveiled this data through the Human Climate Horizons platform. This tool provides detailed mapping of flood susceptibility, highlighting the areas where homes and infrastructure are most at risk due to sea-level rise.

Notably, regions in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia are facing severe threats of permanent inundation. This could have dramatic implications for human development, with low-lying areas in various Small Island Developing States at particular risk.

Under the most severe global warming projections, around 160,000 square kilometers of coastal land could be underwater by 2100. This scenario would affect major coastal cities in countries like Ecuador, India, and Vietnam. The UNDP has warned that without effective coastal dikes, major cities across the globe could experience inundation of over 5% of their area with floodwaters by the end of the century.