1 in 10 at risk from rising seas, storms: study

1 in 10 people in the world, mostly in Asia, live in coastal areas at risk from rising seas and more powerful storms that may be caused by global warming, an international study showed. A zone less than 10 meters (33 ft) above sea level "contains some 2% of the world's land and 10% of its population," according to the study to be published in the April edition of the journal Environment and Urbanization. The researchers urged governments to make billion-dollar policy shifts to encourage more settlements inland rather than in coastal regions that may suffer ever more storm surges and erosion.

Based on new computer population models and NASA satellite data, it estimated that 634 million people lived in the coastal zone in 2000, including 360 million in towns and cities. More than 75% were in Asia. The report said even people living up to 10 meters above sea level could be vulnerable to cyclones, subsidence, erosion of river deltas or intrusion of salty sea water onto cropland.

Ranked by population, China is most at risk with 143 million people living by the coast, followed by India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt and the United States. By another measure, small island states will be hardest hit. More than 90% of the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, the Cayman Islands and the Turk and Caicos Islands are less than 10 meters above sea level.

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