Sinking land may affect 635 million people worldwide by 2040: Study

The gradual sinking of land could affect 635 million people globally by 2040, according to new research funded by UNESCO.

During the past century, land subsidence due to groundwater depletion occurred at 200 locations in 34 countries. Researchers said most of the 635 million inhabitants in subsistence-susceptible areas are located in Asia, with a total exposed GDP of $9.78 trillion.

According to EurekAlert, The areas most likely to sink are concentrated in and around densely populated, urban centers and highly irrigated areas, places where there are high levels of groundwater extraction. Among the areas worst hit will be Asia’s North China Plain; the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain; river deltas in Vietnam, Egypt, and the Netherlands; and inland sedimentary basins of Mexico, Iran, and the Mediterranean.