Remember 2012, when we were all worried about the world ending and there was even a Hollywood movie about it? Well it seems that fiction might turn into reality, as researchers found that a large part of Malaysia will be underwater by 2050.
Though, not as dramatic as the movie, the rise in sea level would still be fatal, with several of our major towns, ports and agricultural area being affected. The research in question was published by Nature Communications, and written by Scott A. Kulp and Benjamin H. Strauss.
The researchers used the digital elevation model (DEM) to predict the Asian countries that will be affected the most by the rise in sea levels. It was found that Asian countries would be affected the most, with China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam taking the brunt of it.
The news was then picked up by our local firm called Centre for Governance and Political Studies or CentGPS for short. CentGPS, took a closer look on the research while keeping an eye out on what it meant for Malaysia. What they found was a frightening discovery, with the firm taking it to Twitter to inform the public.
Kajian baru menunjukkan bandar2 utama di 🇲🇾 akn berada di bawah paras air laut menjelang tahun 2050
Negeri2 yg terjejas:
Perlis
⁰Kedah
Penang⁰
Perak⁰
N9
Terengganu
⁰Pahang⁰
Kelantan⁰
SarawakKajian ini menggunakan model CoastalDEM, pengukuran yg lebih tepat#SeminitJe pic.twitter.com/tsRsrxkMLW
— Centre for Governance and Political Studies (@CentGPS) November 6, 2019
The states that will be affected the most are:
- Perlis
- Kedah
- Penang
- Terengganu
- Pahang
- Kelantan
- Sarawak
They also reveal that Alor Setar will end up being an island on its own. The KLIA airport will probably end up by a beach side and places like Bagan Datoh, Kuala Selangor, Sekinchan being submerged or spread into islands. Check here for a more detailed map of the situation.
Unfortunately, the article also noted that some countries will be hit, regardless if major cuts are made to carbon emission. Thus, making the news much more grimmer.
30 years might appear to be a long way ahead, but the clock is ticking fast.
Source: Nature.
