Astonishing interactive map lays bare where MILLIONS of homes will be submerged by water within a few years... are YOU at risk?
Millions of buildings and even more Americans could be at risk of sinking underwater by the end of the century.
Researchers from McGill University in Canada warned rising sea levels, resulting from continued greenhouse gas emissions, threaten to wipe out coastal cities worldwide.
Sea level rise measures the ocean's surface height over time. Level increases can cause flooding in areas that sit near or below the waterline.
Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide from cars and factories, trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, making the planet warmer. Those increased temperatures melt ice caps and glaciers, and also cause ocean water to expand as it heats up.
The McGill team revealed that even in the best-case scenarios, where sea levels rise just 1.6 feet by 2100, three million buildings in the Southern Hemisphere alone would be underwater by then.
The study is the first large-scale, building-by-building assessment of how long-term sea level rise could affect coastal infrastructure across the Global South, including Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America.
Researchers used satellite imagery and elevation data to map how many buildings could be inundated under different scenarios, providing critical insights for urban planners and policymakers.
While the estimate didn't account for potential damage in the US, Europe and much of northern Asia, where over two billion people live, maps have provided people with the worst-case scenarios for their hometowns.
The Sea Level Submergence Explorer map revealed how 65 feet of sea level rise could impact New York in a doomsday climate scenario
Major cities, including Washington, DC, (pictured) could see historic landmarks submerged by rising sea levels over the next 75 years
The data suggested that if emissions are unchecked, sea levels could rise by as much as 65 feet in the examined timeframe.
In this doomsday climate scenario, major cities like New York, Washington, Baltimore, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Oakland and Sacramento could be submerged within the next 75 years.
Millions would be impacted in New York City and Washington, DC
While the McGill team did not focus on Earth's Northern Hemisphere, its Sea Level Submergence Explorer map painted a grim picture for America's most famous metropolis.
New York City would see much of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx end up below the higher sea level.
More than 8.5 million people live and work in over a million buildings in New York, all of which could be severely impacted by a dramatic increase in flood risks.
The nation's capital, Washington, DC, would also be dramatically affected by out of control sea level rise.
The map estimated that the White House and other government buildings would be submerged if sea levels rose by 65 feet over the next century.
Professor Natalya Gomez, a study co-author from McGill University, said in a press release: 'Sea level rise is a slow, but unstoppable consequence of warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries.
'People often talk about sea level rising by tens of centimeters, or maybe a meter. But, in fact, it could continue to rise for many meters if we don't quickly stop burning fossil fuels.'
Even if the global emissions reduction goals of the Paris Agreement are met, researchers found sea levels would still rise by three feet and flood five million buildings in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America by 2100.
The worst case scenario from the Sea Level Submergence Explorer map warned that more than half of the state of Florida could end up underwater by 2100
The entire state of Delaware was submerged in a map showing sea level rise reaching its estimated peak of 65 feet over the next century
Florida and Delaware would be devastated
This worst-case scenario also projected that several East Coast states, including the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, would have their beachfront communities wiped off the map.
In Delaware, a small state along the Atlantic with roughly one million residents and 200,000 buildings, the damage was projected to be even worse, with almost the entire state falling below sea level.
Farther south, Florida's landmass would shrink to just a tiny fraction of what it is today. Cities like Miami, Tampa, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville would be submerged by the rising Atlantic.
Eric Galbraith, another McGill professor involved in the study, said in a statement: 'Everyone of us will be affected by climate change and sea level rise, whether we live by the ocean or not.'
In the Gulf, both New Orleans, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, would be submerged by catastrophic sea level rise
Although the West Coast did not see as much flooding in models of sea level rise, California's capital of Sacramento along with the Bay Area were still pictured as casualties in flooding maps
The Gulf states and California would be crippled by floods
New Orleans and Houston, two major cities along the Gulf Coast, would also become submerged in this projected nightmare climate situation.
New Orleans, home to more than 360,000 people, has already been devastated by regular flooding during hurricane season.
A 2024 study published in the Hydrogeology Journal discovered that a large portion of the city sits on soft, squishy soils (peat and clay) that sink when drained or built on.
Much of this soil has already rotted after being exposed to the air or has been compacted under the weight of local buildings and roads.
Houston has also been significantly affected by flooding during hurricane season on multiple occasions - most notably during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
The record-breaking rainfall caused catastrophic flooding that inundated over 160,000 homes, killed 68 people and caused $125 billion in damage across southeast Texas.
On the West Coast, the Sea Level Submergence Explorer found much less damage even if sea levels rose by the map's maximum estimates.
However, California's capital, Sacramento, would be in an area devastated by climate-related floods.
The doomsday scenario showed the city of more than 500,000 people would be completely submerged.
Nearby coastal cities in the Bay Area, such and San Francisco and San Jose, would also be severely affected.
Scientists have used satellite maps to work out how many buildings would be destroyed if sea levels rise between 0.5 metres (red) and 20 metres (yellow). In the worst-case scenario, over 100 million buildings would be flooded in the global south alone
The US has been heavily impacted by both flash floods and coast flooding in recently years, particularly in areas near or below sea level. Pictured: A drone view of vehicles partially submerged in flood water following flash floods along the Concho River in San Angelo, Texas, on July 4, 2025
A separate team launched a detailed map revealing US counties most at risk of flooding, pollution, chronic illness and other factors linked to climate change
Study authors noted that this would be an extreme situation that could also take much longer to fully play out than anticipated - possibly taking until the year 2300.
However, they warned that meeting emissions goals may be the only way of slowing this potential global flooding event.
Lead study author Maya Willard-Stepan said in a press release: 'There is no escaping at least a moderate amount of sea level rise.
'The sooner coastal communities can start planning for it, the better chance they have of continuing to flourish.'
Climate change advocates think sea level rise can be prevented by using cleaner energy sources like wind or solar power, planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide, and building sea walls to protect flood-prone areas.
