Populations are Booming in Flood-Prone Areas —Especially in Developing Countries

The number of people living in flood-prone areas is growing faster than in other places, and at a much faster rate than scientists had previously expected, a study published Aug. 4 in the journal Nature finds. It’s a worrying sign that human settlements are not prepared for increased flood risks in the climate crisis. Researchers at Cloud to Street, a flood-tracking platform, used satellite images to estimate the scale of 913 large flood events across 119 countries, and the number of people exposed to them. They found that between 2000 and 2015, the total population living in areas exposed to flooding grew by between 58 and 86 million. That’s a growth rate ten times higher than estimated by previous studies, which relied on modeling rather than satellite imagery to assess the number of people exposed to floods. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Overall, the population of flood-prone areas increased by 34.1% between 2000 and 2015, according to the report, while the total global population grew by only 18.6% over the same period. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4etR5/2/ This summer has brought new attention to flood risks in developed countries. Within a matter of days in July, entire streets were swept away in Germany and Belgium, where the heaviest rains to hit northwestern Europe in generations killed more than 200 people, and a “once in a 1,000 year” flood killed more than 300 people in eastern China. Widely circulated images of the devastat...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized climate change healthscienceclimate Londontime Source Type: news