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China Faces Severe Urban Subsidence, Threatening Millions

Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, with significant portions at risk of falling below sea level within a century, posing serious threats to urban infrastructure and population.

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Shanghai is one of the coastal cities significantly exposed to both land subsidence and projected sea level rise. Roughly a quarter of the country’s coasts will be lower than sea level, according to new research.
As oceans rise and the coasts sink, vast swaths of land will be exposed to destructive flooding from coastal storms and shoreline erosion.
Beijing skyline in a storm.

Overview

  • Recent studies reveal that approximately 45% of China's urban areas are experiencing subsidence, with 16% sinking at a rate exceeding 10 millimeters per year.
  • The rapid urbanization and excessive groundwater extraction are primary drivers of the subsidence, affecting roughly 270 million residents.
  • Subsidence exacerbates risks of flooding, particularly in coastal cities, and could triple the urban areas below sea level by 2120 without intervention.
  • Effective mitigation strategies include replenishing more water than is extracted, as demonstrated in Tokyo and Osaka, which have successfully halted their sinking.
  • The issue of subsidence is not limited to China but is a global concern, necessitating international cooperation and innovative engineering solutions.