Global temperature is rising. This is a known fact. The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have proven this
time and again in their previous assessment reports as well as in
their newest report released in 2013. Together with this temperature
increase comes sea-level rise. In IPCC's 2013 report, four scenarios
of carbon emissions were presented. These were termed as
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) that drive the
temperature and sea-level scenarios. According to these RCPs,
temperatures will rise by as much as 2 C if we stop carbon emissions
by 2020 and will increase by 4 C for business as usual carbon
emissions by 2100. This translates to a sea-level rise increase of
approximately 0.5 m and 1.0 m, respectively (IPCC et al., 2012). This
makes communities in Southeast Asia, particularly cities such as Ho
Chi Minh, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila and Yangon, more vulnerable
(Potsdam Institute of Climate Research and Climate Analytics