Thursday, May 7, 2009

Top 10 African countries most threatened by sea storm surges

IRIN: World Bank researchers have crunched population, economic, and elevation maps to analyse which countries are most at risk from storm surges, assuming a one metre rise in sea level (due to climate change).

An April 2009 report, Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surges - A Comparative Analysis of Impacts in Developing Countries, reveals "very heavy potential losses… [which] further strengthen the case for rapid action to protect endangered coastal populations".

The 10 countries with the largest increases in at-risk land area are: Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, South Africa, Somalia.

NASA shot of Mozambique during a 2000 flood

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