More people are living in flood-prone areas despite risks from climate change with biggest increase in China, study finds

Name: The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy
Uploaded: 2023-10-11T04:00:31.000Z
Duration: 8 min 42 s
Description: The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy

Settlements in flood zones more than doubled worldwide in the three decades to 2015, with the biggest expansion in China

While the benefits of developing in such areas ‘may be worth the risk’ there is a need to prepare for extreme weather, lead author says

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Residents are evacuated on rubber boats through floodwaters in the northern Chinese city of Zhuozhou, Hebei province, in August. Photo: AP

Holly Chik

Published: 12:00pm, 11 Oct 2023Updated: 12:38pm, 11 Oct 2023

Settlements in flood zones around the world more than doubled over three decades, highlighting the need to prepare for extreme weather events that have become more frequent with climate change, according to a new study.

In China, built-up areas grew by 165 per cent between 1985 and 2015, with settlements in the highest flood-hazard category increasing 223 per cent.

The world’s second most populous country was the biggest contributor to the global expansion of high-hazard settlements, the study found.

It was conducted by researchers from the World Bank, Swiss data consultancy MindEarth and the University of the Aegean in Greece. Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature last week.

Lead author Jun Rentschler, a senior economist at the World Bank, said many countries were rapidly increasing their exposure to floods, despite the need to adapt to climate change as it intensifies flooding disasters worldwide.

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The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy

Rentschler, who focuses on the intersection of climate change and sustainable, resilient development, said China’s “extraordinary growth over the past decades” had fuelled urbanisation.