
People travel on a boat as they move to safer places through a flooded road in Chennai, India on December 2, 2015. India is among several countries that will have the highest number of people affected by flooding as global warming accelerates. REUTERS/Stringer
Editor's Note: This is the first infographic in the ICN "What's at Stake" series highlighting the key impacts associated with climate change.
Climate change is already redrawing the world's coastlines—and it will continue to do so as long as the earth continues to warm. According to a recent analysis by Climate Central, continuing to burn fossil fuels at the current rate would result in warming of 4 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels. That would cause nearly 30 feet of sea level rise, submerging the land that's home to at least 470 million people if no adaptation measures are taken. Here's a rundown of how climate change affects the coasts and the associated social and economic costs.