Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking due to groundwater extraction and the sheer weight of urban buildings and infrastructure, a new study finds.
The affected cities, which include Beijing and Tianjin, are concentrated in the eastern part of the country and along the coast. Combined with sea level rise, falling cities could expose around 10% of China's coastal population — between 55 and 128 million people — to flooding and irreparable damage by 2120.
