Cities Sinking Globally

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Sinking cities are a global phenomenon, with nearly half of China's major cities and over two dozen US coastal cities experiencing a rapid decline in ground levels. New York City, Atlantic City, and Jakarta are among the highly affected areas, with Jakarta experiencing a 2.5 meters sink in the last decade. The severity has led the Indonesian government to move the capital to a different island. Coastal cities globally are at risk, facing alarming rates of sinking that require immediate attention.

A study has found that more than two dozen US coastal cities are sinking by more than 2mm a year. It’s a similar picture across the world. Nearly half of China’s major cities, as well as places such as Tehran and Jakarta, are facing similar problems. These issues are compounded by sea level rises caused by global heating. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Manoochehr Shirzaei of Virginia Tech University and Prof Robert Nicholls of the University of East Anglia to find out what’s making our cities sink and whether anything can be done to rescue them from the sea. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod