New York could sink under the weight of skyscrapers

New York ‘will sink if more skyscrapers are built’

David Millward

New York could sink under the weight of skyscrapers / Photo credit: https://euro.dayfr.com/

New York might be iconic for its skyscrapers – but the city should stop building them if it wants to avoid sinking, a new study has warned.

Experts have previously warned that rising ocean levels and climate change pose a threat to the city of 8.4 million people.

But the latest study by a team headed by Tom Parsons of the United States Geological Survey suggested that development is exacerbating the dangers faced by a city where the sea level is predicted to rise by 1.5m by the end of the century.

The authors wrote: โ€œThe point of the paper is to raise awareness that every additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk, and that mitigation strategies may need to be included.โ€

There are said to be one million buildings in New York City, weighing an estimated 771 million tonnes.

According to the latest study, the city is already sinking by 1-2mm a year.

The greatest threat is faced by Lower Manhattan and parts of the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

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