Rising Sea Levels Threaten China Cities

Sea levels off Shanghai and other Chinese coastal cities are rising at an alarming rate, leading to contamination of drinking water supplies and other threats, China’s State Oceanic Administration reported Thursday.

Waters off the industrial port city of Tianjin, 60 miles southeast of Beijing, rose by 7.72 inches over the past three decades, the administration said.
Seas off the business hub of Shanghai have risen by 4.53 inches over the same period, the report said.

Administration experts said global climate change and the sinking of coastal land due to the pumping of ground water were the major causes behind rising water levels.

“Sea level rises worldwide cannot be reversed, so Chinese city officials and planners must take measures to adapt to the change,” Chen Manchun, an administration researcher, was quoted as saying on the central government’s official Web site.

Associated Press