Climate Change Threatens Coastal Cities: Sea-Level Rise Could Cost Trillions, Displace Millions
April 25, 2025
A recent study highlights the severe risks posed by climate change, particularly focusing on sea-level rise and its impact on coastal communities worldwide.
The research finds a strong correlation between global mean sea-level rise and coastal adaptation costs, indicating that higher temperatures lead to greater financial burdens.
As global warming increases, particularly beyond 2.5°C, adaptation costs and damages escalate significantly, with high-end damages projected to reach $2.6 trillion at warming levels exceeding 3.5°C.
The study argues that limiting warming to below 2°C can dramatically reduce the potential for extreme coastal damages and adaptation costs.
It emphasizes the necessity of adaptation strategies to mitigate future damages from sea-level rise, including constructing flood defenses and relocating infrastructure.
The article reveals regional disparities in adaptation costs, with Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia facing disproportionately higher damages compared to global averages as warming increases.
It highlights that over 1% of the global population could be displaced by sea-level rise, especially under scenarios like Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5.
The findings stress the importance of stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and its negative impacts on coastal regions.
Overall, the article underscores the urgent need for proactive climate policies to address the looming threats from sea-level rise and associated economic impacts.
The study utilizes a coastal impacts and adaptation model to estimate economic losses and adaptation costs at various global warming thresholds.
Summary based on 1 source
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Source

Nature • Apr 24, 2025
Coastal adaptation and damage costs at different global warming thresholds