A study conducted by the Colombian navy in conjunction with the Ocean Forecast System predicts that if urgent measures are not taken against global warming, within 20 years rising sea levels will submerge parts of Colombian port city Cartagena.
According to a report filed by Caracol TV, sea levels could rise so high that parts of the suburb Bocagrande, including the principal road running along the beach front, would be completely underwater, making the area into an island.
The local government could construct high walls around the beach and raise the roads in the historic city, but this would be an extremely costly process.
The study also predicts that sea levels on the Colombian Atlantic coast may rise by as much as 76 centimeters over the next 90 years.
This most recent study supports one released by the World Bank in 2009.