The floodwaters are coming for us. Sea levels are rising faster and could swell one to two metres in the next 80 years if greenhouse gas emissions are not swiftly reined in, according to the latest research by UN scientists.
It means we are currently on track for many people alive today to see several of the world’s major cities, including London, New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, largely lost beneath the waves, while the world would lose 1.79 million sq km of land - an area roughly the size of Libya.
In Europe, the Netherlands is particularly at risk, with a third of the country already lying below sea level.
So what can be done?
One mega-infrastructure scheme put up for discussion by a Dutch government scientist suggests addressing the issue in northern Europe by damming in the entire North Sea.
This would require the construction of two dams of unprecedented scale. The smaller of the two would be around 100 miles long and block the entire western end of the English Channel, between Brittany in France and Cornwall in England.
It means we are currently on track for many people alive today to see several of the world’s major cities, including London, New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, largely lost beneath the waves, while the world would lose 1.79 million sq km of land - an area roughly the size of Libya.
In Europe, the Netherlands is particularly at risk, with a third of the country already lying below sea level.
So what can be done?
One mega-infrastructure scheme put up for discussion by a Dutch government scientist suggests addressing the issue in northern Europe by damming in the entire North Sea.
This would require the construction of two dams of unprecedented scale. The smaller of the two would be around 100 miles long and block the entire western end of the English Channel, between Brittany in France and Cornwall in England.
