- Rotterdam, Netherlands
Rotterdam, along with Amsterdam and The Hague, has always danced with the sea, relying on its sophisticated system of dikes and levees. But as the North Sea inches closer, even the Dutch, masters of water management, face an uphill battle against a relentless enemy.
These cities have long prided themselves on their flood defenses, but the rising seas are like a persistent intruder testing every barrier. 26% of the country is already below sea level, so if these dykes fail to hold up, the Netherlands could lose almost a quarter of the country to climate change.