Cause and Effect | Fast-sinking coastal cities in Asia: A ticking time bomb

Coastal cities in South and Southeast Asia are sinking at a rate of tens of millimetres per year, heightening the risks posed by rising sea levels, according to research published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The paper analysed satellite imagery taken between 2014 and 2020 to examine sinking land across 48 of the most densely populated coastal cities, with populations of at least 5 million. The study found that the median velocity of land subsidence in each of the cities ranges as much as 16.2 millimetres annually. Sinking cities in Asia may not receive the same attention as those in the West.