The study found that sea levels are rising faster than expected

Sea levels are rising twice as fast as expected in some parts of the UK New ZealandThis threatens the country’s two largest cities, according to a study published on Monday.

Data collected along the country’s coastal strip showed that some areas are already sinking by three to four millimeters per year, accelerating the frightening danger. These forecasts are the result of an extensive five-year research program – dubbed NZ SeaRise – carried out by dozens of local and international scientists and funded by the government.

According to their predictions, the authorities have less time than expected to plan how to adapt to the consequences climate changein particular the resettlement of people living along the coasts.

30 cm more by 2040

According to Tim Naish, a professor at Wellington University in Victoria who co-led the program, if the global sea level rises by about half a meter by 2100, that rise should be about one meter in large parts of the archipelago because the land is sinking at the same time .

This would be particularly disastrous for the capital, Wellington, which could see a 30cm rise in sea level by 2040, which was not expected before 2060. So the population of Wellington could be victims every year Flood cause damage. The data show that the more populated southeast coast of the North Island is the most exposed.