Thailand may be forced to relocate its capital as rising sea levels threaten to submerge Bangkok, signalling a looming crisis for one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Bangkok, a low-lying city, is at risk of being inundated before 2100, an AFP report said.
Senior government officials said the city might not be able to adapt to the new conditions because of the rising temperature levels. "I think we are beyond 1.5°C (degrees Celsius) already,” Pavich Kesavawong, deputy director-general of Thailand’s department of climate change and environment, told AFP. He was referring to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to cap the rise at 1.5°C.
The Southeast Asian country is considering several options, including relocating its capital. “We’ve been thinking about moving”, Pavich said.
Earth’s sea level has been rising alarmingly in the past few decades. Glaciers have been melting since 1900 because of human activities, which have increased carbon dioxide levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Due to this, the sea ice and glaciers have been melting rapidly, leading to an increase in sea levels. According to reports, more than a third of the glaciers in the world will completely melt by 2100, while over 95 percent of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has already vanished.
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