Climate change

Pearl River Delta under Rising Water Threat

By Joshua S. Hill

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Occupying nine prefectures of the Guangdong Province, the Pearl River Delta will one day be engulfed by rising sea levels if something is not done to combat the problem soon. Chinese state media officials were reported to be quoting weather officials when they made the announcement on Thursday.

According to the figures, some 1,153 square km (445 square miles) of the land surrounding the Delta would be swallowed up by 2050 with Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, alongside Zhuhai and Foshan noted as being the three cities likely to be affected the worst.

"Climate change will negatively affect the economic development of Guangdong, which is currently one of the biggest consumers of energy and producers of greenhouse gases," Du Raodong, an expert at the Guangdong weather centre, was quoted as saying.

The recent growth in average temperatures worldwide has been attributed to the greenhouse gases emitted by humans that have been rising in excess over the past 30 years. The main fear for the surrounding areas, likely to see a 30cm rise (one foot) in sea waters, is the inundation of salt in to the drinking supply.

In addition, Du Raodong says that red tide -- an event in which estuarine, marine or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column -- will likely affect local agricultural production.