Vanishing Cities: How Bangkok is Sinking into the Sea

A Buddhist temple on the banks of the Chao Phraya river.

This thesis was submitted to the Western New England University School of Law in 2022 – by Ashley Rivera

Abstract

The city of Bangkok is sinking into the ocean at an alarming rate. Some parts of Bangkok are facing sinkage rates of between one to two centimeters a year, and the sea level rises up to four millimeters each year. A combination of climate and infrastructure crises is causing families to be displaced and entire villages destroyed. Extreme measures must be taken to preserve what is left of the Thai capital. If not, the city is sure to vanish.



Ashley Rivera is a law student at Western New England University School of Law, where she has a great interest in environmental and human rights law, and hopes to practice in these fields upon graduation. She is co-founder and co-president of the Environmental Law Coalition, where she teaches other students about sustainability, activism, and other ways to get involved in environmental protection. Ashley believes that human rights and environmental justice go hand-in-hand as humans have a right to live in an environment free from toxic pollution, and access to the natural resources needed to survive and prosper.


No edits have been made to maintain the author’s tone of voice.

Was this thesis interesting? Make sure to check out our article on Jakarta: the world’s fastest-sinking city.

Climate Change’s Overlooked Consequence: Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo on Involuntary Immobility

17 June 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Polly Nash

In this interview, correspondent Polly Nash speaks to Aimee-Noel Mbiyozo, a senior researcher specialising in human migration at the institute of security studies in Pretoria. The pair discusses the concept of involuntary immobility, which occurs when people wish to migrate but are not able to do so. Mbiyozo recommends how Earth Refuge and lay people globally can shine a light on this overlooked issue and talks of the challenges of advocating for greater protection for climate refugees.

“One of the biggest outcomes that we don’t talk about very much is involuntary immobility … there are people who aren’t going to be able to move even if they want to and that poses really big humanitarian development threats.”