Sky News reported on a warning issued by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding the potential disappearance of three cities during the "COP26" climate summit held in Glasgow, Scotland. In his speech at the climate summit, Johnson cautioned about a rise in global temperatures by 4 degrees, stating that "at 4 degrees, we say goodbye to entire cities—Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai—will all disappear beneath the waves."
He added, "The more we fail to take the appropriate measures, the worse the situation will get, and we will pay a heavy price. Humanity has consumed its time, and it's time to address climate change." He highlighted the Paris Climate Agreement, stressing the importance of reducing reliance on coal due to its dangerous impact on global warming and climate change.
During the global leaders' summit on Monday, Johnson remarked that humanity is "one minute to midnight on the doomsday clock" according to the climate crisis timeline, urging, "We need to act now."
In response, Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation spokesman Mohamed Ghanem stated that "there are indeed climate currents that have a clear impact on rising sea levels. So far, there are various studies that approximately determine the amount of increase, but we are talking about a meter’s range which varies from one study to another." Ghanem pointed out that Egypt is not waiting for this problem to occur but has been taking action for years to address this issue. He noted that climate changes are severe globally, citing the floods that occurred in Germany and Europe as evidence. He mentioned that Egypt has been undertaking projects for several years, including coastal protection initiatives.
Geology and water resources professor at Cairo University, Abbas Sharaki, explained that global sea levels rose approximately 16–20 centimeters during the past century, with a rate of about 3 millimeters per year since 1993 based on satellite measurements. He added that temperatures have risen by about one degree since the onset of the industrial revolution, mostly in the last 50 years at a rate of 0.1-0.2 degrees Celsius every 10 years. He observed an increase in carbon dioxide levels and the retreat of some glacial areas, all of which signal an urgent need to take measures to prevent temperature increases and reduce ice melting, which contributes to rising sea levels. Additionally, rising temperatures increase the volume of seawater, further elevating levels and leading to the flooding of some coastlines.
Abbas stated in a comment to Sky News Arabia that "studies have been conducted on scenarios for rising sea levels and their impact on the delta. If sea levels were to rise by half a meter, it could submerge about half a million acres in northern delta regions and double the volume of the northern lakes—Manzala, Burullus, Edku, Mariout—and large areas of Port Said, Damietta, and Alexandria, leading to the displacement of approximately 4 million people." He further noted that if the sea level rises by 1.5 meters, "the Mediterranean Sea would extend into the delta by about 25 kilometers, submerging approximately 1.5 million acres and displacing more than 8 million people." He explained that while there is a slow natural rise in surface temperatures that would require thousands of years to raise sea levels by one or two meters, human activity exacerbates this through increased pollution, particularly from carbon dioxide emissions from power generation, industry, transportation, methane from waste and agriculture, and nitrogen oxides from industry and farming.
