The human ecology of climate change - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 418

Table7.1 Sizeofpopulationinlow-elevationcoastal
zones(LECZs;lessthan10mabovesealevel)inselected
countries(Vafeidisetal.,2011)

Country Population in LECZs in 2000

Australia 2 196 520

Bangladesh 63 122 300

Brazil 11 552 800

Canada 1 192 880

China 143 989 000

Denmark 1 455 450

Egypt 25 461 200

Germany 4 585 850

India 63 925 500

Indonesia 39 255 200

Ireland 338 629

Japan 30 193 500

Maldives 290 799

Mexico 5 615 320

Netherlands 11 551 400

New Zealand 472 986

Pakistan 4 556 230

Poland 903 503

South Africa 392 006

Thailand 16 422 700

Tuvalu 9 903

UK 7 071 210

USA 23 366 000

from the land. Further, the human impact of droughts in a more crowded future, and
hence one that consumes more water, will be exacerbated. This is yet another example
of a non-climate factor exacerbating impacts.

7.3.4 Droughts

As with floods, droughts are not new but have been increasing in their severity.
Droughts not only affect natural and human-managed ecosystems (such as agricultural
lands) but also damage property. The drying out of soil can damage housing, as
exemplified by the 1976 drought in England with the cost of repairing domestic
properties exceeding £100 million in the money of the day (Burroughs, 1997).
In 2004 the south of China experienced the worst drought for half a century and low
levels of rain continued in 2005 and 2006. Difficult choices had to be made. In autumn
2004, 100 hydroelectric plants were shut down so that water could be diverted to rice
fields and farmland, 730 000 ha of which were affected by the drought, including
36 000 ha abandoned due to lack of water. Widespread power cuts resulted. The level
of one river, the Dongijang, fell by 80%, which dramatically reduced supplies to
36 million people.