Rising seas could erase these cities of the world by 2050

The new projections suggest that much of Mumbai, India's financial capital, is at risk of being wiped out. Built on what was once a series of islands, the city's historic downtown is particularly vulnerable.

Kolkata is home to 15 million people and that number is growing. The city already faces flooding induced by heavy rain and other natural events; by midcentury, much of Kolkata could lie in the coastal flood risk zone.

In Shanghai, one of Asia's most important economic zones, water threatens to consume the heart of the city and many other cities around it. In 2012, a team of UK and Dutch scientists declared Shanghai to be the most vulnerable major city in the world, to serious flooding. This was  based on factors such as number of people living close to the coastline, time needed to recover from flooding, and measures to prevent floodwater. According to Climate Central projections, 17.5 million people could be displaced by rising waters if global temperatures increase by 3 degrees centigrade.

In Thailand, more than 10 per cent of citizens now live on land that is likely to be inundated by 2050, compared with just 1 percent according to earlier findings. The political and commercial capital, Bangkok, is particularly at risk.

Dhaka is Bangladesh's capital and largest city. It is already home to a growing number of internal migrants who have left coastal settlements behind but Dhaka is itself projected to see significant flood risks in the coming decades.

Much of Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's economic centre, would disappear along with almost one-quarter of the population according to the Climate Central research.

Jakarta has been facing the challenge of rising sea-levels, which threatens to submerge entire swathes of the city by 2050. Its land is sinking up to 6.7 inches per year due to excessive groundwater pumping. In recent years, floods have devastated homes, vehicles, and local businesses, particularly Jakarta's poorer neighbourhoods.