Twenty cities most vulnerable to storm surges, sea level rises

DAKAR, 1 October 2009 (IRIN) - According to (yet another) new climate change report, this time from development think-tank CGD, these are the 20 cities where the most people will be at the greatest risk from sea level rise and storm surges in the developing world.

For example, with about 5 million inhabitants, Alexandria is Egypt's second biggest city. A rise in sea levels of 50cm could lead to the loss of about 194,000 jobs and the displacement of about 1.5 million people

The report’s basic assumptions were:

• one metre sea-level rise

• 10 percent increase in the intensity of a 1-in-100-year storm

• UN medium population projections.


1. Manila, Philippines
2. Alexandria, Egypt
3. Lagos, Nigeria
4. Monrovia, Liberia
5. Karachi, Pakistan
6. Aden, Yemen
7. Jakarta, Indonesia
8. Port Said, Egypt
9. Khulna, Bangladesh
10. Kolkata, India
11. Bangkok, Thailand
12. Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
13. Cotonou, Benin
14. Chittagong, Bangladesh
15. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
16. Yangon, Myanmar
17. Conakry, Guinea
18. Luanda, Angola
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
20. Dakar, Senegal