Report warns China of rising sea levels

BEIJING - A new government report has warned that rapidly rising sea levels around China will affect an estimated 1,300 coastal townships, or 3 percent of the country's total, by 2050.

According to the 2011 report on China's sea level, updated by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Wednesday, the sea around China's coast is expected to see a rise of 145 to 200 mm by 2050, affecting 87,000 square km of coastal lowlands.

The administration said increased human activity in coastal regions, including the overuse of ground water and construction of high-rise buildings, has accelerated the rise.

A rise in the sea level will aggravate the severity of natural disasters such as rainstorms and expedite water erosion that will affect salt fields and aquaculture.

From 1980 to 2011, China's coastal sea level has risen by an annual average of 2.7 mm - faster than the global average, according to the report.

The SOA blames rising sea levels for magnifying the impact of storms around China's southeastern coast and salt tides in the Yangtze and Pearl rivers in 2011.