Furthermore, as sea levels rise, people living in low-lying areas will have no choice but to move. A one-metre rise could displace as many as 145 million people worldwide and contaminate drinking water for millions more, according to one study. Large swathes of land – indeed, entire cities – may be submerged under water. Livelihoods will be at stake, since in many cases, moving to higher terrain will involve forsaking alluvial soil that people need for farming.
